Summers at Ninomaru
by Crosshatch
Summary: AU. Kaoru was eight years old when the strange man with the round-shaped glasses first came to her village. A tale of court intrigue and kitsunes. Based on the book, "Summers at Castle Auburn," by Sharon Shinn.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kaoru was eight years old when the strange man with the round-shaped glasses first came to Hinohara. It was summer, and the young girl had busied herself with climbing one of the many cypress trees that surrounded her guardian's dojo. When Maekawa-sensei found her, she was sprawled along a branch, slowly inching upon a frightened chipmunk with an outstretched hand.

"Don't look so scared! I just wanna say hello. Look, I have treats," she cooed, waving a blueberry in front of the baffled creature.

"Kaoru." She eeped, and nearly toppled off the tree. Maekawa-sensei sighed. "Stop harassing the wildlife. We have a guest to entertain." The little girl quickly shimmied down the tree and made her way over to her sensei.

"Who is it? I didn't hear any horses," she said. Honestly, she was rather curious. Maekawa-sensei didn't usually 'entertain guests'. He had friends and students and fellow villagers that were such frequent visitors that they may as well have moved in, but none of them required a formal welcome. Maekawa-sensei didn't answer her; he just moved towards the house and motioned for her to follow.

Sitting inside the house was the oddest man Kaoru had ever seen. He had long, messy black hair that was partially contained in a top-knot, and a pair of round-shaped glasses perched on a sunburnt nose. Looking at his face, she'd guess he was a yeoman, but he was dressed very finely, she could tell, all sumptuous purples and blues. Strangest yet were his eyes, which were the deepest pools of black she'd ever seen. As soon as he laid those eyes on her, Kaoru felt she was being tugged into an abyss. She gulped and ducked behind Maekawa-sensei.

Who was having none of it. He grabbed his student by the scruff of her gi and dragged her out in front of him. "Don't be rude, Kaoru." The stranger chuckled into his cup of tea.

"Oho, it's quite alright. Sorry for the intrusion, little one. My name is Yukishiro Oibore," he stood and offered the young girl a very formal bow. Kaoru nodded, still a little stunned, and then squeaked when Maekawa-sensei cuffed her. She folded her hands and fell into a deep bow.

"Pleased to meet you, Yukishiro-sama," she said. For some reason, this just made the strange man laugh even more.

"Oh, no, none of that. Please just call me Oibore," he said. Kaoru frowned a little. She sensed she was being made fun of, but she couldn't figure out what the joke was. The stranger, Oibore, spotted her scowl and, if it was even possible, grinned even wider.

"Ahh, I had thought for a moment that I might've been mistaken, with how shy she was, but I'd recognize that scowl anywhere. She is truly Koshijiro's daughter." _That _got Kaoru's attention. She felt her jaw drop and her stomach tie in knots.

"Wait, w-what? You know my dad? I thought no one knew who my dad was," she whipped her head to her guardian. "Maekawa-sensei?" The man who had raised Kaoru since as far back as she could remember was staring down Oibore as if he could reduce their guest to ashes by the power of his glare.

Oibore seemed nonplussed and settled back down onto the floor. He brought his teacup to his lips.

"I see we have much to discuss. Please, sit," he gestured. Kaoru could _feel_ Maekawa-sensei's eye twitch, even if she couldn't see it, but her sensei settled himself in front of the guest and indicated for Kaoru to join him. Her knees trembled a little as she lowered herself to the floor. As soon as she sat, she launched herself forward with questions.

"Who's my father? How do you know I'm this Koshijiro's kid?" She realized faintly that she was panicking. _No one_ ever spoke about Kaoru's family. No matter how much she wheedled and bribed, none of the older villagers told her anything about them. Kaoru had always thought her parents had died some horribly violent bandit-induced death and that was why no one wanted to talk about it. But if her father was alive-! Oibore seemed unperturbed by her distress. He took another sip from his teacup and leaned back.

"You have his chin, his forehead, and, if I may so wager, his temper." Kaoru couldn't help her blush. The man in front of her merely tilted his head and smiled. "Don't apologize. It's not a temper borne of malice but pride. Hold onto it," he said. He turned the teacup in his hands and sighed. "My brother, Koshijiro, and I were not particularly close. He was enamored with court life, while I found myself spending much of my time on the road. But he was my brother and I cared for him."

"You speak in past tense," observed Maekawa-sensei. Kaoru felt a growing lump of dread in her gut. Oibore gazed at the dojo master and nodded, once.

"My brother is no longer of this world, yes. He passed away from a sickness of the lungs approximately eight months ago. I am sorry, little one," he turned towards Kaoru. She blinked hard. It wouldn't do to shed tears in front of this stranger dressed in fine clothes. But it was just so unfair to have the hope of a family dangled in front of her and then see it brutally stomped into dust. Maekawa-sensei gently patted her shoulder.

"On his deathbed, Koshijiro asked me for a favor," their guest continued. "He said that he had a child out of wedlock, a girl, who was living in a village up in the mountains, surrounded by cypress trees. It took me an unforgivably long time to realize he meant this village, Hinohara," he paused. "My brother was ashamed that he had concealed the existence of the child for so long. He insisted that I find her and bring her to the household, introduce her to her family. That is why I am here today." He put the teacup down and gazed thoughtfully at Kaoru. The little girl could hardly think straight. Her father – her father had _abandoned _her? Pretended she didn't exist for eight years? For a moment, she preferred her first guess that he'd been offed by bandits, for at least in that scenario her father didn't choose to forget about her. She thought she was going to be sick. But -

"Who was my mother? None of the villagers ever talk about her," she asked in a very small voice. Maekawa-sensei cleared his throat.

"Your mother's surname was Kamiya. She...," her sensei broke off with a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ahh, she wasn't a part of this village. A visitor, you could say. And an unwelcome one at that. I had planned to tell you when you were older, much older." He dropped his hand to his side and gave Oibore a meaningful look. Oibore's eyes widened and he – it was so strange to think of this well-dressed stranger as her uncle, of all things! - turned his gaze upon Kaoru. It felt as if those black eyes were peering into the very depths of her soul and weighing its value against an incomprehensible scale. She shifted, ill at ease. But then he blinked, and sat back, and smiled. Kaoru let go of a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"I see. Where is the little one's mother?"

"My name is Kaoru," she grumbled, trying to find her footing in this absurd conversation. Oibore smiled softly.

"Of course, forgive me for my poor manners, Kaoru-chan. The question still stands," he addressed the last bit at Maekawa-sensei. Her guardian wrapped grasped Kaoru's left wrist and threaded his calloused fingers through her much smaller ones. It felt like an apology.

"We drove her out of the village five years ago. She was a disreputable woman and the source of much misfortune. I didn't realize she had a child," her sensei sighed again. The lines in his face grew more pronounced and his eyes looked so tired. Kaoru felt sorry for her guardian and found herself wishing this conversation wasn't happening, that this Oibore had never came to Hinohara and forced her sensei to dredge up such ugly memories. "I found Kaoru crying in my dojo afterward," Maekawa-sensei continued. "She couldn't have been more than three years old at the time. No one in the village knew she existed, much less who the father was. No matter her parentage, I wasn't about to abandon a toddler," he concluded. Kaoru squeezed his hand in silent thanks.

Oibore regarded the pair with an indecipherable look in his eyes. "I see. Thank you for telling me this, Maekawa-sensei." He adjusted his glasses. "Kaoru-chan," he began, and waited until Kaoru raised her head to meet his inky black eyes. "Kaoru-chan, I imagine that this must be a lot to take in. And I can see clear as day that you care deeply for your sensei. I wouldn't dream of removing you from the only family you've ever known," he said softly. She wasn't sure if he was saying that for her benefit or for Maekawa-sensei's. Maybe a mix of both. At this point, she was being assaulted with so many different emotions that she barely registered a dim terror at the prospect of leaving Hinohara. "But I did make a promise to your father to bring you to Ninomaru so you could meet his lady wife and your sister. I believe, though, that we can find a mutually agreeable arrangement."

Kaoru's brain skittered at the word 'sister'. "I – what?" Her uncle nodded.

"Yes. Tomoe-chan will be turning twelve this fall. She has dark hair like yours and is one of the kindest, most accomplished young women I've known. Of course," he chuckled, "I am her uncle, so I may be a tad biased. But she has a good heart. I think she'd like to have a sister."

"You _think_, but you don't know," Kaoru said brokenly. "I'm just some bastard kid left to grow up in the woods. Why on earth would she want me around? Don't, Maekawa-sensei," she put up a hand to halt her guardian from speaking. "Don't try to sugercoat it. I am what I am, and lying's not gonna get us anywhere fast." Kaoru squared her shoulders and steeled herself for the next words she was about to say to this stranger who, in less than an hour, had upended her entire life. "There's no reason your niece would want anything to do with me."

Somewhere outside, a cicada called and was answered by a cacophony of its neighbors. Maekawa-sensei shifted uncomfortably, but Oibore acknowledged her point with a slow nod. "You're correct. I imagine you've had enough of half-truths for one lifetime, eh? It's true: there's no logical reason for Tomoe-chan to welcome her father's illegitimate child. I imagine her mother will have a fit once you arrive," he conceded. "But that woman is such a stickler for propriety that she could do with a little mortification. It may teach her to be less of a judgmental shrew," he muttered the last bit under his breath. "However," he brightened, "I know my niece better than I know my own hand. Ninomaru Palace can be a terribly lonely place for warm-hearted youngsters like her. I know she's been aching for a true friend, someone to confide in and laugh with and scamper about the palace with. Who better than her own flesh-and-blood to fill that role?"

Kaoru gazed at her new uncle for a long time, trying to suss out any duplicity. But there was no dishonesty in those black eyes, none that she could tell at least. He seemed to really mean it. And Kaoru _wanted_ to believe that he was speaking truthfully: that she had an older sister who was kind and good and would love her and treat her as any sister would. She loved Maekawa-sensei, but she couldn't rely on her sensei for everything. There was only one question left to ask.

"Does she like kendo?" Oibore threw his head back and laughed, a deep, rich sound. Even Maekawa-sensei chuckled a bit.

"You're the first little girl I've met that practices kendo, Kaoru-chan," her uncle side, wiping at the corners of his eyes. "But Tomoe-chan always enjoys learning new things. Perhaps you could teach her a few moves. There's also a dojo for the guardsmen, so you'll be well-equipped to continue your training, should you choose to do so."

"Of course I'll continue," she said firmly, even a rare smile from Maekawa-sensei. He ruffled her hair and then turned his attention once more to their guest.

"You said you had a mutually beneficial arrangement in mind?" Oibore nodded, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a wince. Apparently that sunburn was bothering him more than he let on.

"Yes. We can discuss the details more tomorrow, but my thought was this: Kaoru-chan clearly has a home here in Hinohara. But she is also entitled to her birthright: a portion of Koshijiro's wealth and a position in the palace, as per her half-noble status. So, I propose we split the year 70-30. Kaoru-chan spends the majority of the year here in Hinohara, but during the summer comes down to Ninomaru Palace to live with Tomoe-chan and learn about the nobleman's life. Of course," he gestured to Kaoru, "this is only a suggestion. The final decision rests with you."

She gulped. Kaoru was grateful and a little surprised that Oibore was leaving the decision up to her. But, she thought as she massaged her forehead, it had been a _long_ afternoon, and her head was swimming with all this talk of sisters and nobles and wayward parents. There was way too much to process. Kaoru needed time to sit by herself and carefully shift through all this new information. She had a sudden fierce desire to grab her bokken and work through her anxiety in the dojo, away from kind-hearted senseis and mysterious new uncles. Maekawa-sensei, as if sensing the trend of her thoughts, squeezed her hand lightly and told Oibore, "We will need some time to consider your offer. Do you have lodgings arranged for the night?"

"Oh yes," assured Oibore. "I've already found a room in the inn down the road. Kaoru-chan," he turned to the eight-year-old girl with a gentle smile on his face, "This is a weighty decision you're about to make. Take all the time you need. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask." He winked, then stood and bowed to her and her guardian. "Maekawa-sensei, thank you again for your hospitality."

As the strange man with the round glasses walked away from the dojo, Kaoru fisted her hands in the folds of her hakama and took a deep, steadying breath. Had that conversation really just happened? Was it all a dream? If so, she'd like to wake up and go back to climbing trees and dodging mud puddles in the village streets – and not have to consider whether to join some wealthy nobleman's household, even if it was for only one season out of the year. "What should I do, Maekawa-sensei?" she implored. The middle-aged warrior thumped her lightly on the head.

"Go work it out in the dojo. Once your soul has been cleared of turmoil, your answer will come to you clear as a cicada's call." The little girl nodded and pivoted to the dojo.

As her arms burned with the repetition of katas, she reflected on the strange events of the afternoon. She still couldn't wrap her mind around the idea of her father being a noble, of herself being a half-noble. Of being left behind, her existence so shameful to the man that it wasn't revealed to the rest of his family until his dying day. She wasn't sure what was worse: that, or the thought of her mother being driven out of Hinohara. The villagers were so kind and generous, almost to a fault. What kind of woman was her mother that her behavior was so awful and unforgivable that it forced these good people to kick her out?

Kaoru shuddered. What kind of person was _she_, child of such dishonorable individuals? Did Maekawa-sensei look at her and see her criminal mother? The only fact he had shared about her mother is that Kaoru had inherited her curiously blue eyes. Did Oibore gaze upon her and see his brother's shame? He hadn't acted as if she was something to be ashamed about: he was respectful and polite and spoke to her honestly about his brother's family. _That _gave her pause. She wondered about her sister, thought about what it would be like to grow up friendless in a palace, surrounded by cold wealth but with no one to play, tease, and share stories with. In her mind, Kaoru conjured up a little girl just taller than her with long black hair dressed in fine silks who looked so indescribably _sad_. Her heart broke for the girl she pictured in her head.

Kaoru felt the first stirrings of resolve. Oibore had said that this Tomoe would welcome a sister. If she was truly as warm-hearted and kind as he said, and if Kaoru's presence at Ninomaru could banish her loneliness, well then, how could Kaoru argue against going there? It wasn't as if she would be living there forever, she reasoned. She would stick around Ninomaru for a summer and if she didn't like it, she would just leave. Kaoru felt certain her uncle would take her back to Hinohara if she asked. After all, he hadn't come in demanding she join the Yukishiro's at the palace. He had asked – her, not Maekawa-sensei – and had left the final decision on her slim, eight-year-old shoulders. He respected her feelings on the matter. Strange though he was, Oibore was kind. She knew with a fierce sort of certainty that he wouldn't offer to bring her to Ninomaru if the experience would only make her unhappy.

As the summer sun hung low in the sky, Kaoru let her arms drop to her side. Her armed burned with exhaustion but her heart was clear and calm. When Maekawa-sensei entered the dojo, he met her gaze and, after a moment, offered to begin packing her things. She gave him a hug and pretended not to notice the curious shine in his eyes, because Maekawa-sensei was a guy and you didn't point out to guys that they were crying.

Oibore turned out to be right, in the end. Following that first visit to Ninomaru, where the Yukishiro's and the royal family lived, she returned every summer – not exactly welcome, and certainly not a favorite of Koshijiro's wife, but Kaoru knew with a certainty carved deep in her bones that Tomoe loved her. And slowly, Kaoru had grown to look forward to her summers at the palace, for it gave her the chance spend time with her sister and indulge in pageantry and colour the likes of which she had never seen growing up in Hinohara. But, as civil as the palace-folk were, Kamiya Kaoru was never able to forget what she was to them: a forgotten bastard child, a dojo-brat, and a mark on the reputation of the late Yukishiro Koshijiro. Exciting as her trips to the palace were, she knew her place.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The summer Kaoru was fourteen, her uncle Oibore offered to take her to on one of his expeditions to Mt. Arashiyama to hunt for kitsune. Kaoru had only ever seen domesticated versions of the foxy tricksters before and so she had shouted, "Of course!" and bowled her uncle over with a hug.

Of course, Ouka was having none of it. "People will talk," Tomoe's mother had muttered. "A young girl and an older man gone off together for three nights. It's unseemly."

"He's my _uncle_!" Kaoru was aghast. Yukishiro Ouka was nothing if not stubborn, however. She was her guardian at the palace, at least when Oibore was away, and tended to have final say over whether the teenager could indulge in any activities she deemed 'improper'. When Ouka tried to force Kaoru to give up her kendo training two summers ago, the palace walls shook and more than one vase was smashed. They screamed at each other until they were both blue in the face. Tomoe had to step in before they started clawing at one another and offered the two a compromise: Kaoru would spend her afternoons learning court etiquette, but could spending her mornings and evenings in the dojo, when there weren't formal events to attend to. Ouka was still unhappy, but Kaoru knew a bargain when she saw one and had thanked Tomoe profusely afterward.

But even Tomoe could not persuade her mother against appointing one of the maids as Kaoru's chaperone for the trip. "She has to appoint someone," her sister murmured. "If she let you go off on your own, she'd never hear the end of it from other court ladies." The young kendo enthusiast was nothing if not determined, though, and schemed to ditch her chaperone the first chance she got. It was doable; she'd just have to be creative about it.

So that morning, after lying to the maid about what time they were to depart and slipping some sleeping draught into Ouka's tea, Kaoru ran down to the palace stables with a broad smile on her face. The sun had not yet risen and the ground was damp – it must have rained during the night, she grumbled to herself as she skidded on the slick stone. Her hair, tied up in its usual ponytail, whipped around her face and gi as rounded the corner at a sprint, nearly toppling in the process.

Oibore laughed when he saw her. "Cheerful this morning, I see," he exclaimed, sweeping her in a hug. "Oho, and how did you get Ouka to let you out like this?" he said, appraising her white gi and blue hakama with a thoughtful eye. He raised an eye as Kaoru grinned mischievously.

Her uncle chuckled, adjusting his round glasses. "She has no idea, does she?"

"Not a clue."

"Well, it's far more practical than whatever silly get-up she'd have you in," he said, patting Kaoru on the head with a shrewd look in his eyes. The teen giggled, and helped her uncle strap camp supplies to their packhorses.

"Where are the others?" she asked. Oibore grunted and made some adjustments to his saddle.

"Late. I'd expect this from our young prince, but I figured Akira-kun and the others would be here on time. I should have hauled them out of bed myself, eh?" Oibore looked over at his young niece and caught her dreamy smile. He rolled his eyes.

The fourteen-year-old pointedly ignored her uncle and indulged in a happy sigh. One of the reasons she was so excited about this trip was the fact that she'd be traveling with the crown prince of Ninomaru. Shinsaku was everything a young prince should be: charming, handsome, fiery, and barely sixteen. When he had heard Kaoru and her uncle were planning a kitsune hunting trip, he insisted on coming along, and Kaoru had begged Oibore to let him. She had loved the prince ever since he brought her to the palace roof to watch a meteor shower when she was ten years old.

All the palace girls nursed crushes for him, in fact, but always from afar, for Shinsaku had been betrothed to her sister, Tomoe, since birth. Ouka was already making preparations for the wedding, even though it wasn't for another four years. No matter what Kaoru's feelings toward the prince were, she wouldn't dream of interfering with her sister's happiness. But, she thought with a wide smile, she would get to spend three whole days with him, and say clever things, and show off her kendo skills, and maybe, just maybe, those three days could tide her heart over and she could be content. She sighed.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Shinsaku strolled through the stable doors with a cheerful, "Morning!"

"Morning, sleeping beauty," Oibore grumbled as the prince swept towards Kaoru.

Shinsaku bowed and took the young girl's hand. "Hello, Kamiya-san. I hope you slept well. You look radiant this morning." Kaoru giggled, unable to help herself. Three whole days!

"Liar. See those bags under her eyes? She looks like a raccoon." Oh, if looks could kill-! She glared over the prince's shoulder at Akira, his cousin. Kiyosato Akira was a scholarly dark-haired youth whom Kaoru had known since she first began visiting the palace six years ago. He had always treated her as a little sister - which apparently meant embarrassing her in front of the object of her undying affection. Jackass. As soon as the prince turned away, she stuck out her tongue and made an obscene gesture.

"Oy, Kaoru-chan, keep looking like that and the boys will never like you," he taunted. Kaoru shoved her hands to her sides and forced a smile on her face as Oibore and the prince glanced her way. _Ooh_, screw non-killing vows. Kaoru swore to make the Akira's death throes as miserable as possible. She would have to ask Tomoe to order her a set of knives when she came back. And a bag of salt.

Her uncle glanced around the stables. "We're missing two of our party. I still can't fathom why we need to drag the royal food taster along," he muttered that last part to himself as he added more things to his pack.

"Better to be over-prepared than under." Apparently, the prince had heard that. "Everyone knew we were planning to leave for Mt. Arashiyama today. It wouldn't have been hard to sneak into the kitchens and poison our food," he said with an elegant shrug. Shinsaku made it sound so reasonable and obvious, you'd have to be an idiot not to immediately nod and agree. As it was, Oibore settled for a baleful glare and continued to mutter.

"I think I saw him on the way with Kenshin," Akira offered.

"Who's Kenshin?" Kaoru asked. She couldn't recall anybody by that name in the palace.

"Guardsman. Just up from Shinshu," The prince's cousin answered with a nod towards Shinsaku. "The regent won't let the young prince off the property without a guard, so Kenshin's our sword."

Shinsaku whipped out his own weapon, a wicked katana that shone even in the early morning darkness. "I can't imagine why. The regent knows I'm strong enough to protect myself." His blade slashed the air. "If we encounter bandits -"

"Which I doubt, since there are no trade routes where we're headed," her uncle interjected.

"_I_ could defend myself," Shinsaku continued with a pout. "I could defend us all."

"Don't forget that I have some skill with a blade myself," Oibore said in the same dry tone, "not to mention Akira-kun, as well as my niece. In fact, I'd wager she's better than you." Kaoru's face burned. She _was_ proud of her skills as a swordswoman, and part of her heart warmed with pleasure at her uncle's praise. But with Shinsaku sputtering unattractively like that, she wanted the earth to swallow her up and let her hide.

"Is that so, then?" The prince recovered. He smoothly fell into a fighting stance three yards from Kaoru. "On your guard, then, Kamiya! Let us prove once in for all that a man -"

"They're here!" Akira chirped. Shinsaku fell over from his stance and leveled a glare at his cousin that could sear mountains. Kaoru gulped. The earth could hurry up and swallow her any day now, really. She wouldn't mind.

The last two members of the party entered the stable. The royal food taster, Hira, kept his head down as he scurried in. A peasant's son with an unfortunate bowl-cut, he had a skittish air about him, like a rabbit who had suddenly found himself in a den of wolves. Kaoru tried to smile encouragingly at him whenever she spotted him. He wasn't the only fish out of water, after all.

The last member of the party was presumably the young guardsman, short and skinny with a mane of red hair. He had to be new to the castle; Kaoru trained at the guardsmen's dojo nearly every chance she got, and she was certain she'd remember someone with such a distinctive hair-color. Kenshin – for that was his name, now that she could think past her embarrassment – glanced around once, quickly, as if to assess the situation in every detail, before turning to the party with a small bow.

"Apologies for the delay," he said. "The other guardsmen had some last-minute advice, that they did."

"Well, now that we're all present and accounted for, let's be on the road before the sun actually rises, eh?" Oibore declared. Everyone moved towards their horses, then, except for Shinsaku, who glowered at Akira briefly before sheathing his sword. But he smothered the expression quickly enough and shot a warm smile towards Kaoru.

"Next time, I suppose, eh Kamiya-san?" Kaoru looked positively sunny as they led their horses out of the stable.

The guardsmen at the gate bowed to them, and all the men, save the prince, bowed back. Kaoru bowed as well, and wondered if these guards mistook her for a boy as well. Probably not, if those sly smiles and winks were anything to go by. Every guardsmen knew the "kenjutsu princess" who spent her summers at the palace. Though, she was always quick to correct them that she was no princess - only a half-noble, and a disgrace to the noble ranks at that, if you listened to Ouka.

True to Oibore's word, Lady Yukishiro had disliked Kaoru from the moment the little girl set foot in the palace. That woman seemed to regard her as a personal affront and would always scowl whenever she spied her husband's other daughter playing with Tomoe or laughing with the servants. Ouka always took care to remind Kaoru of just how unworthy she was of staying in Ninomaru, and how grateful the little girl ought to be that her uncle had seen fit to bring her to the palace. For, if it was up to her, Ouka would've probably just poisoned the little girl's tea and pretended she'd never existed, Kaoru thought with dark humor. If it wasn't for Tomoe's kindness and the civility of the other palace inhabitants, Kaoru would've demanded Oibore to bring her back to Hinohara in an instant.

Ouka's only ambitions when it came to Kaoru, it seemed, were to reform the the village girl's 'hoyden ways' and see her married off to a fat, old, wealthy idiot. Kaoru planned to disappoint her on both fronts. As they passed the guardsmen, she wondered which one of them would draw the short straw and have to tell Ouka that her young ward had left in the company of five men and no female companion. Kaoru hoped the news ruined her day.

They trotted along at an easy pace. Akira would grumble every now and again and make a great show of rubbing his eyes, but for the most part the company was silent. After a quarter-mile, Kaoru drew her horse alongside her uncle's. It was great to be able to spend time with Oibore. He was on the road hunting kitsune more often than not, and rarely stayed at Ninomaru longer than a week straight.

"Thanks again for taking me along on this trip, Uncle," she said with a warm smile. "I bet we'll catch a lot of kitsune."

Oibore chuckled and gazed at his niece with a soft look in his eyes. The years had been kind to Oibore: his black hair was just starting to show streaks of gray, and the only wrinkles he had were laugh lines that were usually concealed by the scruff of his beard. Behind those trademark round glasses of his, his eyes were still bright black and sharp as a wild boar's.

"Oh yes, it will certainly be a lovely trip," her uncle murmured. "Though I doubt we'll so much as spot a kitsune let alone come close enough to capture one," he paused, and laughed under his breath at her crushed expression. "But the ride should be pleasant enough, and Mt. Arashiyama is beautiful this time of year. And it won't hurt the young prince to get out of the palace. So, I don't mind the wasted trip."

"Wasted? But Uncle, why won't we see any kitsune?" Kaoru implored. "You're a fantastic hunter; I'm sure you could catch one if you really wanted to." It was true: he was not a broad man, her uncle, but what he lacked in stature he more than made up for in cleverness. Oibore was an excellent kitsune hunter, the best the country had ever known, and a wealthy man because of it many times over. It was what kept him on the road much of the year. The other nobles whispered that his ceaseless hunt for the foxy tricksters had changed him, turned a mild-mannered noble into something a bit more wild around the edges. Kaoru wasn't sure how much stock to put in the gossip. This was, after all, the only version of her uncle she had ever known. And right now this version was shaking his head in apology.

"I know you were eager to see one, Kaoru-chan. Heaven knows that a kitsune in the wild is a marvelous sight. But it takes stealth and guile to capture one, and a band of six possesses neither. For now, enjoy the scenery and your freedom from Ouka, eh? And don't mention this fact to the others – it'll be fun watching them quake in their boots once we reach the forest." He concluded with a wink.

Kaoru frowned, then shrugged her shoulders with a sigh. It wasn't like she could do anything to change the circumstances. Oibore wasn't known as the best for nothing – if he said there'd be no kitsune, well, you were a fool to doubt him and believe otherwise. She did wonder, at times, why he was so consumed with hunting the tricky creatures. She had heard him say to some noblemen once that it wasn't the money that drove him again and again to the Oi River that weaved along the foothills of Mt. Arashiyama. She wondered at his true motivation. When she had asked in the past, though, he had patted her head and deftly, decidedly, changed the subject. Kaoru could take a hint.

"How many kitsune have you caught over the years, Uncle?" she inquired.

"Exactly thirty. I've been doing this for, oh, nearly twelve years now. They're terribly clever, y'know. That's why they're so valuable."

"Don't forget their magic and their beauty, eh?" Kaoru recited, mimicking her uncle's reedy voice. He cuffed her on the head.

"And their ability to attract luck, smart mouth" Oibore added fondly. "Ninomaru Palace is a far wealthier estate now with its resident kitsunes helping to bring in good harvests. All these traits have made the kitsune greatly sought after – and me a sought-after man, I suppose."

"Ouka is afraid you will die and leave all your money to me," Kaoru said. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to tell him that, but she figured he ought to know how his sister-in-law viewed him more as a coin-purse than a person. "She says your wealth should go to Tomoe-chan instead."

Oibore regarded her with bright eyes. "Oh? And what do you think?"

"_I_ think you should outlive the hag out of spite." Her uncle choked on a laugh and beamed down at his niece.

"You are my favorite, you know that, eh?"

"Of course," Kaoru grinned.

Her uncle turned to face the road and thoughtfully stroked his beard. "Well now, let's consider this. Ouka's an old woman, sixty if she's a day, while I -"

"Fourty-three," his niece cut in.

"I am a young man of fifty, and with my youthful enthusiasm, I will surely outlive her. But she's right, in a way. As my nieces, you and Tomoe will inherit my wealth when I pass on. I will have to figure out how to dole out my money while I'm still around. So, Kaoru-chan," he straightened. "How should it be? You _are_ my favorite, but Tomoe-chan is lovely and kind. Would you accept a 60-40 split in your favor?"

Kaoru wrinkled her nose. She didn't enjoy this topic of deaths and inheritances. It was all too morbid for her liking. "I don't need it. Give it all to Tomoe-chan. We don't have much use of money in the village anyway," she said. "Most of the villagers owe Maekawa-sensei favors for protecting them from bandits and thugs on the road."

"Oho, but who's to say you'll always live in Hinohara, eh?" mused Oibore. "Perhaps you'll marry a fine young nobleman and move to his estate. Then you'll need plenty of gold." He gave his niece a sideways look, and chuckled at the dirty scowl that marred her face. Kaoru pursed her lips and shook her head.

"I can't abandon Hinohara. Should Maekawa-sensei retire or, heaven forbid, pass away, there'll need to be someone to mind the dojo. The village will be defenseless otherwise."

"He can always find another successor." Oibore offered. His niece shot him a dry look.

"From where? There isn't another village for miles, and most of our young men have taken up other trades. And Maekawa-sensei is getting too old to lead classes, much less train another successor. It's hard enough on him when I'm gone for the summers" she added with a grimace.

Her uncle laughed softly. "No wonder he's grown so unhappy with me! He's afraid I'm stealing away his successor. Well, but I'm not the only man who might do that. He hasn't realized just how pretty you've become."

Koaru waved away the compliment and their talk turned to much lighter subjects, but when the conversation lulled she mused upon her uncle's words with a little uneasiness. It was true – while her two guardians got along well enough, chatting and trading stories over sake, there had been a growing tension between Maekawa-sensei and Oibore. It had only gotten worse as the years passed and Kaoru grew and matured into a young woman.

During his last visit, Oibore had hinted that she should consider spending more time in Ninomaru, presumably to spend more time with her sister, but also so she could become more acquainted with the visiting young lords. Maekawa-sensei had seen the implication and had sternly reminded her uncle of the initial terms of the arrangement. It had helped, too, that he had said it with such a fiercesome glare that Kaoru herself gulped and felt the need to find the nearest corner and hide. Her uncle, as always, seemed nonplussed, but he had dropped the subject and turned the conversation to more neutral topics. It made the teenage girl uneasy to see the two most important men in her life arguing over her future. It seemed like she was bound to disappoint one of them.

They rode on for hours. Close to the palace were a number of small towns, but farther out most of the land was wild and untamed. Acres and acres of bamboo forest swept out from either side of the road. The sight of birds and monkeys flitting through the woods awed Kaoru.

The company turned onto a badly kept side road and headed deeper into the forest. Eventually the prince demanded a halt, which she appreciated – Kaoru was determined not to be the one to slow the party down, but she was thirsty and her back was beginning to ache. Hira was happy to rest as well, by the look on his face and how quickly he scrambled off his horse.

Oibore climbed down with less haste and reached into his horse's saddlebags. "Who wants a bite to eat, since we've stopped?" Five hands shot up in the air. Oibore tossed an onigiri to Kaoru and passed out the other rice balls more sedately. Hira took a small bite from Shinsaku's onigiri at least ten minutes before the prince would touch it, and since he didn't turn blue in the face and collapse, Shinsaku ate the rest of it. Her uncle watched this with a frown, but said nothing. After a quick stretch, they saddled up again and journeyed on.

The forest around them grew denser and held deep shadows even in the noonday sun. Kaoru swore she saw a family of monkeys tracking them for awhile, but they vanished the next time she looked. It was hot, and muggy, and she considered just taking her canteen and dumping its contents on her head. After another hour, perhaps two, the side-road they had been following dwindled until it was nothing but a patch of mud.

This time, it was her uncle who called for a halt. "Slow going now," Oibore cautioned. "We're right at the edge of kitsune territory, and they do so love their mischief." The hunter turned to look at his company and cocked his head to one side. "Mmh, it might be best to walk from here on out. Kitsune have been known to spook a man's horse and send man and beast careening though the trees."

Hira practically fell off his horse in haste. Kaoru and the other boys dismounted more gracefully. "What else should we look out for, Oibore-san?" Akira's voice was calm, but Kaoru saw the young man's hands tighten around on his horse's reins. Her uncle gave an exaggerated start.

"You mean, you don't know? You mean to tell me you came on an expedition to hunt tricksters without knowing of the dangers?" Oibore's voice was hitting histrionic now. He laid a hand over his eyes. "I am surrounded by a company of fools, willing to waltz into mortal dan-_yeouch_!" He yelped as Kaoru bopped him with her bokken.

"Out with it, Uncle," she grumbled. She could've sworn she heard their guardsman choke back a laugh somewhere behind her. "And quit it with the theatrics." Her uncle composed herself with a "Hmph!" and a muttered, "Kids these days..." before he cleared his throat.

"Laugh all you want, but the danger is real. Better men than you lot have been ensnared by the charms of the kitsune. Better nieces, too," he sniffed. Kaoru tried really, really hard not to sigh. Oibore suddenly straightened and the laughter in his eyes was replaced with deadly seriousness.

"The kitsune," he began with a stern voice, and everyone straightened up, "are wily, magical, and thoroughly dangerous. They can bewitch a man, make him take leave of all his senses, and charm him away from his family." To Kaoru's left, Hira gulped. "They can steal a woman's image and walk among mortals, with no one the wiser, save for the high-priests and the magically-inclined." Even though it was high noon, Kaoru shivered. Oibore continued with a stern wag of his finger. "Always be wary of strange women traveling by themselves at dusk. They may very well be foxes in disguise."

"Oibore-san, how can you tell who is a kitsune and who is not?" asked Akira. "You are neither a priest nor a magician."

"Oho, Akira-kun, very discerning, as always. It's a good trait to have. 'Better to be suspicious than be had like a fool,'" the older man recited. "You are correct; I have not taken religious orders, nor am I magically-inclined. To suss out a kitsune, one requires great cleverness and a discerning eye, and," he paused for added effect, "a very, very liberal application of sake."

There was dead silence in the clearing. "You get them drunk?" Everyone turned to look at their quiet guardsman, who had the most perplexed look on his face. Oibore laughed.

"You'd be surprised how many kitsune I've nabbed by offering lonely travelers some sake. They're wily, but get them bombed and they forget to conceal their tails." He regarded Kenshin with some affront, as if this was obvious. "What?"

The guardsman shook his head slowly with a wry grin. "It sounds like something my shishou would try."

"Your shishou sounds like an eminently reasonable and clever man," Oibore replied. "Now, where was I?"

"The dangers of the kitsune," Kaoru supplied.

"Ah, yes, thank you, Kaoru-chan. Deception and disguise are the kitsune's primary weapons. But the creatures are not limited to those tools alone," her uncle explained, gesturing for emphasis. "Kitsune can float above the ground as easily as you or I can walk. They can cloak themselves in magic, rendering themselves invisible to mortal eyes. They can generate wisps and balls of fire that burn with heat and yet not set the wood aflame. They can appear in your dreams and create awful, mind-numbing nightmares. And they can create bend reality to create terrifyingly real illusions. There have been times I have thought I was walking alongside a friend only to realize that the person at my side was nothing more than a well-crafted illusion – the real friend having long been lost to the kitsune."

There was silence of a different kind in the clearing now. Even though she knew that the chances of them seeing kitsune were slim, Kaoru had to fight off tremors. Surprisingly, Hira was the one to end the quiet. "H-h-how do you defend yourself against such a cr-creature?"

"By cultivating a discerning eye and maintaining constant vigilance," said Oibore. "Some men rely on dogs to sniff out kitsunes from mortals – the foxes are terrifically afraid of them, as you can imagine. Others wear holy charms, which prevents the bearer from falling to a kitsune's tricks." Kaoru's hand rose unbidden to grasp at the necklace tucked securely under her gi. "The only real way to gain control over a kitsune, though, is to steal their hoshi no tama."

"Their what now?" Shinsuke spoke up.

"Hoshi no tama. They are the very embodiment of a kitsune's soul. Most of them look like jewels or pearls. A man who holds a hoshi no tama might as well have his hands around the kitsune's throat, for the foxes cannot survive long without them." Her uncle dove a hand into one of his horse's saddlebags and pulled out a pair of shackles. "These-" he began, holding the shackles up for inspection, "have been charmed by a very powerful priest under the employ of the regent. If I were to hold a hoshi no tama, I could insert it into the metal of these shackles, binding the unlucky kitsune's soul to the chains. The charms prevent the kitsune from accessing their magic and the proximity of the hoshi no tama keeps them alive. It's what we use to keep them in bondage at the palace."

"Now," Oibore paused, surveying the quiet company. "Mt. Arashiyama has been a nexus of kitsune mischief for centuries. Even in such a large group, you'd be foolish not to be cautious. I am not a particular fan of dogs, so I didn't bring one along to guard us. That is why I asked all of you to bring along a holy talisman to protect yourselves. Did you adhere to my request?"

Kaoru and Hira both pulled out amulets that had been blessed by the palace priests. Akira had a heavy ring that bore the symbol of Amaterasu. Shinsaku, though, folded his arms across his chest. "You may all be fearful of our prey, but I am not. I brought no such talisman."

Oibore's eyes flashed with something dark, but he smothered it and turned to his saddlebags. "I brought extra cuffs. You may wear one."

Shinsaku shook his head. "No, I do not need one. I am the prince. I am not afraid."

"That's a pity," sighed Oibore. "Well, if we turn back now, we might reach Ninomaru in time for dinner. Come along then, everyone." With a grunt, the nobleman climbed back onto his horse.

Shinsaku's face darkened. "What are you doing? If you think -"

"I _think_ I am the head of this expedition and am responsible for your safe-keeping," the hunter said firmly. "And if you insist on endangering yourself by not wearing a simple talisman, then we will return home."

The prince balled his hand into a fist. "And I am the prince, and I say we journey on!"

Oibore ignored him. "Ridiculous. Come now, everyone, mount up. We're returning to the palace." Everyone stared at the bespectacled man. He shrugged. "What?"

Kaoru broke the silence. "But Uncle-!" It was unfair, she wanted to say. She had been looking forward to this trip for weeks, had schemed and plotted on how to thwart Ouka, and now that they were so close to the Oi River, they had to turn back? She stared at her uncle, silently imploring him to change his mind.

"I am sorry, Kaoru-chan. I know how much you've been looking forward to this trip. But if I cannot guarantee the prince's safety, we cannot proceed." He raised a hand in a placating gesture. "You and I will return to Mt. Arashiyama by ourselves one day, I promise. Perhaps matters will run more smoothly with a smaller company." She knew he meant it, but who knew when that next time would be? It was rare enough that Oibore was free to take off for a few days. In despair, Kaoru turned to the prince, desperate to change his mind.

Akira was already at his cousin's side. "Put on a shackle and stop ruining things for everyone," he commanded, punching Shinsaku in the shoulder. "The regent would have all of our heads if something happened to you on this trip, and you know it. Oibore-san's just being practical. If you won't wear it for yourself, then wear it for Kaoru-chan. She shouldn't have her summer ruined because of your stubbornness." The prince smoldered and jutted out his chin in defiance. It wasn't a matter of safety now, but pride. His cousin snatched one of the loose shackles from Oibore's saddlebag and reached for the prince's arm, but Shinsaku batted his hands away.

"I'm not wearing that," he growled.

"Then we go home," Oibore said simply.

The prince leapt away from his cousin. "I won't wear those prison chains," he insisted. "I will wear a talisman, since our guide insists, but I won't wear _that_."

Victory! Perhaps this trip could be salvaged after all. Kaoru hurried over to the prince and offered him her necklace. "Shinsaku-sama, please wear my amulet. I can wear the shackles, I don't mind."

Akira frowned. "You shouldn't have to, Kaoru-chan."

But apparently the compromise was pleasing to the prince. He bowed stiffly and said, "If it pleases the lady, I will wear a small token of her favor. I would not want to be responsible for her unhappiness." At that he lifted his head and offered Kaoru a dazzling smile. The young girl smiled back – in relief and embarrassment at the prince's attention – and clasped the holy amulet around his neck. The prince stepped back and offered her another bow.

To his left, Akira waited with the metal cuff. It was heavy and emblazoned with holy symbols, and the hinge rubbed uncomfortably against Kaoru's wrist after Akira put it on. She pretended not to mind and whispered a quick thanks to the dark-haired lad. Oibore climbed down from his horse and leveled the group a dry stare. "Good. Now that the theatrics are over with, are there any more surprises I should be aware of?"

"You're one to talk," Kaoru retorted, but then a sheepish voice answered her uncle.

"My apologies, Oibore-sama. I did not come bearing any holy talismans. They're not something guardsmen are in the habit of wearing," Kenshin apologized.

"Kenshin!" she reproached. The swordsman shrugged slightly. She sighed and fished out another metal cuff from Oibore's bags. "You should've told us sooner, y'know," she muttered as she fastened the band around his left wrist. She could see a hint of a smile on the guardsman's lips.

"I doubt the kitsune would want to spirit me off into the woods, that I do," he murmured. The smile was out in full force now. "I make for lousy entertainment."

Kaoru sniffed. "Well, you never know what passes for good entertainment around here. I'd feel awful if we lost someone to the foxes," she said, patting the metal band around his wrist. "You'll be safe now." The guardsman made a slight bow and thanked her.

Oibore surveyed the group. "Any more surprises? No?" The company shook their heads. He grasped his horse's reins and moved forward. "Then off we go."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The path they followed now was narrow and overgrown with weeds. Akira and Oibore were in the lead and, from what Kaoru could catch from their discussion, were trying to gauge if their company could reach the Oi River by nightfall. Shinsaku marched boldly on after them. Kaoru walked alongside Hira, who kept turning his head this way and that and was so pale she feared he would faint in the middle of the forest. He wasn't the only skittish creature; as they walked, Kaoru's horse began to snort and paw the ground. She patted her horse on its neck and whispered reassurances to the beast.

"C'mon now, I know you can handle this. What are a couple of kitsunes to a brave horse like yourself, hm?" she cooed. "Any foxy tricksters come our way, you give them a good kick, you hear?" Her horse snorted softly and bumped its head against Kaoru's arm. She chuckled and scratched its mane with a fond smile.

The guardsman, Kenshin, brought up the rear. He was quiet again, but he caught her glance every time she looked his way and would smile softly in return. At one point he chuckled and told the fourteen-year-old to look sharp; she turned around and nearly tripped over an exposed root. Despite his reticence, Kaoru found herself liking the guard and vowed to become better friends with him.

They continued on this way for more than an hour before her uncle called for a rest. The company tied their horses to some nearby trees and flopped to the ground to rest their feet. Well, Kaoru and Akira flopped; Hira had all but collapsed and the prince had seated himself more sedately.

"How much longer until we reach our destination, Oibore-sama?" Kenshin asked. He was fishing through his saddlebags for – something, Kaoru couldn't tell. Oibore's back obstructed her view.

"About two hours, I'd say, if we continue at this pace," her uncle answered. "We won't reach the Oi River tonight, not without marching much faster, but there's a clearing I'm rather fond of on the way that we can camp at. Besides, no use in going faster and tiring out these youngsters before they even see the river," he chirped, looking back at the teenagers crumpled on the ground. The middle-aged man wasn't even winded. It was disgusting. As her sensei's star pupil, Kaoru was no stranger to exercise, but even she was sore and tired from their trek. She glared daggers at her uncle's head. Kenshin caught her expression and snickered, but his face adopted a sedate look when Oibore turned back his way.

"I see. I understand you've packed some provisions, Oibore-sama, but I could try hunting us a fresh meal, that I could, with your leave."

The hunter eyed him speculatively. "A company of six plus horses makes a considerable amount of noise, guardsman. I doubt there's any game to be had for miles."

"If I see something, then," the red-head said.

Oibore clapped his hands, and with a groan the teenagers clambered back on their feet. They continued on the path, her uncle whistling cheerfully and forging ahead with the rest dragging their heels. Kaoru was bone tired. She wondered what her uncle would say if she just dropped to the ground now and fell asleep on the path. The young girl reached up to wipe some sweat from her face and ended up smacking her nose with the metal cuff on her wrist. She swore.

"Is something wrong, Kaoru-chan?" asked Hira.

"No, no, just me being a klutz." She scrunched her nose. She hoped no one else saw that. Kaoru half-expected to turn and see their guard staring back at her with laughter in his eyes, but when she craned her head to look, he was gone. She stopped.

"Oy, where's Kenshin? Should we go back?" she asked the boy at her side. Kaoru didn't know the guard that well, but she certainly didn't want him missing in the woods. She'd never forgive herself if they lost one of their company.

"Hunting, he said," the food taster explained. "Said he'd catch up."

"Jeez," Kaoru frowned. "He's new, right? He doesn't know these woods well. What if he gets lost?"

Hira shrugged. "He seems capable of taking care of himself. I asked him the same and he said not to worry. Besides, he is wearing a talisman, so he should be safe from any k-kitsune." He blushed as he stuttered on that last word. Kaoru hesitated, torn between wanting to go find the guard and leaving Hira by himself. The food taster made the decision for her. "We should hurry; your uncle's gonna leave us behind at this rate." She nodded wearily and set off.

Hira was right; Kenshin wasn't what you'd call chatty, but he had an easy air of competence about him. He seemed perfectly capable of handling whatever the forest threw at him. Still, Kaoru worried, and kept casting looks behind her. He still hadn't returned by the time Oibore mercifully called for a halt. They had reached a clearing that was tucked away on the side of the path. It was wide enough for their horses and tents and had a pleasant brook bubbling to one side.

"Time to make camp for the night, my companions," Oibore tittered. He looked over his bedraggled group and paused. "Oho, and where's our fearless guard?"

"Hunting," Hira repeated.

That caught the prince's attention."Hunting? He ought to have asked me! I could have caught us dinner."

"I think he was bored, Shinsaku-sama," the food taster shrugged. That made sense; Kenshin was a country boy, after all. Kaoru could see it in the easy way he navigated the forest. The guard was probably used to much rougher terrain than this and had chafed at their slow pace.

Shinsaku still wasn't pleased. "Bored? He's supposed to be guarding me! Now how is he supposed to do that if he's off catching rabbits?"

"But Shinsaku-sama," Kaoru grinned. She couldn't help her crush if he left himself wide open like that. "I thought you said you needed no protection, being a mighty swordsman and all." The prince sputtered.

"Well, guard or no guard, we still need to make camp. Now," her uncle raised a finger, "who wants to build the fire? Akira-kun?" The prince's cousin nodded and ambled off to look for firewood. The rest of the company unloaded their bags from the horses and began fashioning their campsite. As the only female in the group, Kaoru had a tent to herself. She half-considered just sleeping out in the open. After all, it didn't look like it would rain anytime soon, and she missed being able to lie down and gaze up at the stars. If it was just her and Oibore, she'd do just that. However, propriety reared up in the voice of Ouka and the young girl bit back a sigh as she got to work setting up her sleeping quarters.

Just as she finished up and turned to offer Hira some help (poor boy looked like he was about to be strangled by the cord), Kenshin stepped out into the clearing. He had a pair of rabbits slung over one shoulder as well as a pheasant tied to his horse's saddle. A crossbow rested in the middle of his back. So that's what he was fishing from his pack earlier, she thought, as Oibore clapped him on the shoulder and congratulated him on his kills. The young guardsman waved off the compliment.

"I was lucky, that I was. I apologize for my late return," he said as he surveyed the nearly complete campsite. Shinsaku sniffed, but Oibore said, "Nonsense!" and helped the guardsman dress the game. Kaoru busied herself with making a spit as Akira returned with a bundle of firewood. They soon had a merry little fire going.

The young kendo enthusiast stretched out in front of the crackling flames with a happy sigh and tried not to blush when her stomach rumbled. Akira laughed, while Hira, turning the spit, wisely said nothing. He sympathy-winced when Kaoru clocked the prince's cousin on the head. Dinner was ready soon enough. The company settled down in front of the fire and quickly gorged themselves on the meat and whatever dried provisions Oibore had thought to pack. Shinsaku, though, waited ten minutes after everyone else had began. Even Kaoru thought the delay had bordered on ridiculous; did the prince really think that one of them would poison him out here in the woods? She shook her head slightly at his caution, but said nothing.

Oibore was the first to finish. He settled back with a loud belch and sighed. "Wonderful. Thank you, Hira-kun. It was a fine meal." The royal food taster, Kaoru was surprised to discover, enjoyed cooking in his spare time and really had a knack for it. He even thought to bring seasonings along in his pack, which gave the roasted meat a rich flavor. The boy blushed at the compliment and ducked his head, trying to hide his pleased smile.

Sitting to her uncle's right, Akira grinned and raised a canteen in his Hira's direction. "I agree. My thanks to the chef."

Kaoru gestured towards Kenshin. "And the hunter, don't forget." Hira and Akira echoed the compliment. Even Shinsaku grunted in thanks. The guardsman shook his head and thanked them politely enough. Smothering a yawn, Oibore stretched his arms languidly and reached for his pack.

"I found this earlier," he said. In his hand was an odd-looking fruit. At least, Kaoru thought it was a fruit - it was shaped like a squished peach and was a deep, dark green. "Are any of you familiar with it? Hira-kun?" Their resident chef took the fruit from Oibore and examined it in the firelight. He scrunched his mouth and, after a moment, shook his head and passed the fruit to the prince. Shinsaku tossed it in his hands for a moment before handing it off to Kenshin, who turned the fruit over in his hands as if gauging its weight.

"It's strange, I'll give it that," he frowned. "Surprisingly heavy for such a small thing, too." He reached over and carefully placed the fruit in Kaoru's hands.

"Is it edible?" she asked her uncle as she examined the fruit in the firelight.

"Oho, it is," he replied, "but worth your life if you're not careful." She eeped and all but threw the fruit at Akira, who flinched and let it bounce to the ground. It rolled over to Oibore's foot, and the hunter picked up the deadly fruit without much fuss.

"This is the Midori no Zakuro. It's native to the region and it's probably the sweetest fruit you'll ever taste. It's like honey, peaches, and melon all wrapped in one. But you won't find any farmers growing it nor any merchants selling it. Everyone's far too afraid to eat it." He reached into his pack again and pulled out a small knife, and deftly cut the fruit lengthwise. Inside the flesh was pink and, at its core, were hundreds of tiny black seeds. "Each one of these seeds contains enough poison to bring down a horse," Oibore explained cheerfully. "It's a pity not many are willing to take the risk, for the taste of the fruit is truly incomparable." He sighed in sympathy for the odd-shaped fruit, then raised his head to survey his audience. His black eyes glittered with mischief.

"Allow me to ask a question of all of you. Imagine you are given the chance to try a dish made of midori no zakuro, but, clever adventures that you are, you know the seeds are poisonous. What would you do? Would you chance death for a slice of heaven?" A heavy curtain of silence fell upon the group as the teenagers contemplated the dilemma.

Shinsaku answered first. "I would have my taster try it first. If he survived, I would try the dish."

"Fair enough. How about you, Chef Hira?" The royal food taster blanched as Oibore waved the fruit in front of him. "Suppose you were on your own and offered a dish of midori no zakuro, how would you proceed?"

The boy frowned as he considered the fruit. "I would not chance it, Oibore-sama."

The older man gazed thoughtfully at the boy. "Not even for the most delicious morsel of your life?"

"There is much delicious food to be had in this world, Oibore-sama." In the firelight, Hira squared his shoulders and looked defiant. "I would rather spend my life enjoying those other dishes than risk it purely on the promise of the midori no zakuro."

"That is a fine answer, Hira-kun. I respect your decision and the thought you put into it." Oibore turned to his right. "And you, Akira-kun? You are a man of science and letters; what is your solution to the dilemma of the sweet and bitter fruit?" He placed the fruit in Akira's outstretched hand. The dark-haired youth inspected it carefully, tilting it this way and that.

"I'd try it, but only if there was an antidote to the poison and I had a supply of it on hand."

"Oho, cautious as always. I should have expected that," he said as Akira handed back the fruit. "Next, my niece!" Oibore exclaimed. "I'm excited to hear this one. What would you do, Kaoru-chan? Would you take the chance or deny yourself heaven?" His niece reached forward and gingerly took the fruit from his hands. Kenshin was right; it was a strange little thing, bright pink with an ugly green skin and filled with dark, deadly seeds. She dragged her thumb along the edge.

"Well," she began, a wry smile twisting her lips, "Everyone knows I'm a lousy cook, so if I tried to prepare it I'd probably end up poisoning myself." She waited for her audience's chuckles to die down. "But I'd eat it. If I knew the cook had successfully prepared the fruit before, I would have faith in their skills and trust that they had removed all the seeds."

"You have that much faith in other people?" The question came from Akira, who looked perplexed. Kaoru nodded.

"I do. Who better to ensure my safety than an expert hand who's dealt with the midori no zakuro before? And, in thanks, I would insist that the cook share my plate. Purely out of gratitude, of course." And here she let a wicked grin cross her lips.

Oibore laughed loudly. "Risky, but I like your method of insurance."

"Never trust a cook who's not willing to eat his own food," she affirmed. She handed the fruit back to her uncle, pleased that he approved of her answer.

"Too true. I should remember that next time I find myself in a dingy inn. But," he leaned back. "I do think everyone's answer says something about their character."

"Kenshin." The guardsman glanced up at her in surprise. "You haven't answered yet. What would you do?" Kaoru inquired. She was genuinely curious about what the man's answer would be. Apparently, so was Oibore, because he leaned forward and grinned encouragingly at the red-head.

A smile gathered at the corners of Kenshin's mouth. "I can't imagine someone going through the trouble of preparing such an extravagant dish just to kill me, that I can't. My enemies' strategies tend to be more straightforward than that."

"But if you _were_ offered the fruit?" She didn't know why she was being so persistent. Perhaps it was because this man was such a black box that she was driven to hear his answer, if only to get a better shape of his character. Kenshin met her gaze with a thoughtful one of his own.

"I would not be as trusting as Kaoru-dono, that I wouldn't," he murmured. "A clever assassin could embed the seeds on one side of the plate and sample from the uncontaminated side. Or he could have an antidote handy, like Akira-sama suggested, and simply cure himself once out of sight." It was the most the guardsman had said to her, and as gentle as the admonishment was, his words cut deep into Kaoru's ego. Kenshin paused, gauging her reaction, before continuing, "I would risk death for a slice of heaven, that I would. But only if I had prepared the dish with my own hands. I wouldn't trust another to remove all the seeds."

"Absolutely paranoid," concluded Oibore. Kenshin face-faulted. "Good heavens. And here I thought Akira was cautious," the older man muttered with a shake of his head. "But," he brightened, "it is a thorough answer and covers all contingencies. Well done, Himura-kun." The guardsman "oro'd" quietly.

"You still haven't answered yet, Oibore-san," chimed the prince's cousin. He was lounging in front of the fire now, and the flames cast odd shadows on the youth's face. "What would you do if you were presented with midori no zakuro?"

The hunter considered the fruit in front of him, balancing one half in his left hand. "Why, what I've always done," he said, and crammed the half into his mouth. Everyone stared in horror as Oibore chewed noisily and swallowed.

Kaoru leapt to her feet. "Uncle, you idiot-!" The nobleman fell backwards with a mad cackle. He laughed loudly and deeply, tears leaking from his eyes.

"I think," the guardsman said slowly, rising from his seat, "we've been had." He grasped Kaoru's elbow carefully to keep the young girl from pummeling her uncle into dust. "It was a clever experiment, Oibore-sama."

"So the midori no zakuro is harmless?" Hira looked so confused. Clutching his sides and still giggling, Oibore sat up.

"Not harmless, no. The seeds do contain cyanide. Though you'd have to eat about two cups of them on an empty stomach for them to have any real effect." He looked so damn pleased with himself that Kaoru wanted to shake him. She settled for a vicious growl and a thrown shoe. "But the fruit is delicious, I didn't lie about that," her uncle offered, rubbing at the lump on his head. He picked up the other half of the midori no zakuro and sliced it in fifths, and then offered slices to the rest of the group.

Shinsaku came to his feet. "I think this game has gone on long enough," he said stiffly and stalked over to his tent. The food taster looked back at the prince before turning back to Oibore and hesitantly taking a slice. He popped it into his mouth, and his eyes closed his bliss.

Akira held out his hand next. "I'll try a piece." When he put the sliver of pink fruit in his mouth and chewed, an indescribable expression crossed his face. "Ahh, even if the seeds _could_ kill you, I understand why one would risk so much. Why isn't the midori no zakuro cultivated then, if there's nothing really to fear?"

"Mostly because they're dreadfully tricky to grow," explained Oibore. "Kaoru-chan? Would you like a piece?" The malice in his niece's glare made him gulp. "Kaoru-chan," he began again in small voice, "please don't kill me, you know I was only teasing. Would you really off your favorite uncle over a joke?"

The young girl grumbled, "You're my only uncle, you old fraud," but took a sliver of fruit from him. She chewed, and her mind went blissfully blank. It was everything Oibore had said it was, all melon and honey and sweet summer flowers rolled into one small piece of fruit. "Wow," she murmured. Her uncle looked up hopefully.

"Am I forgiven then?"

"No." His face crumpled. Kaoru smacked her lips. "But I'll consider it if you find me some more tomorrow."

"Can I have Shinsaku's portion?" asked Akira, already holding his hand out.

"Let Kenshin have a piece first," Kaoru suggested. Again, a look of surprise crossed Kenshin's face.

"There's only a little left. I wouldn't want to deprive you, that I wouldn't." Paranoid _and _self-sacrificing, she thought. No wonder he was hired as a guard for the prince. Kaoru took a slice of pink fruit from Oibore and placed it in Kenshin's palm.

"I'm a village girl myself, so I know what it's like to have a rare treat," she explained. "Eat." Kenshin tilted his head in thanks and, after a moment, slipped the midori no zakuro between his lips. His eyes widened.

"Well. I know what I'll be keeping an eye out for tomorrow, that I do." His companions laughed. There was one last piece, and Oibore carefully sliced it into quarters and handed out the slivers. Kaoru smacked her lips after she finished, and quickly smothered a yawn.

"Oof, bedtime for me, I think." Her bones creaked as she stood up once more and stretched. "What time are we hitting the road tomorrow, Uncle?"

The older man rubbed his nose thoughtfully. "Well, we've covered a lot of ground today, more than I expected, to be honest. I think we can sleep in a little tomorrow. Shall we say an hour after dawn?" The group murmured an assent. "Someone please relay the message to the prince. Or give him a good shake in the morning, whatever suits your fancy."

Every one else stood and made their way to their packs. Oibore shook out a blanket and placed it down by the fire; he planned to fore-go a tent and sleep outside, unlike Akira and Hira, who crawled into their tents. The guardsman carefully fed another piece of wood to the fire before settling down under a tree, his knees drawn up and sword tucked carefully by his side. Apparently he intended to keep watch for awhile.

Kneeling by the brook, Kaoru splashed her face with water and yawned. She wanted to wash her face before she went to bed, but with how tired she was, she was more likely to tumble right into the stream. She dried her face against her sleeve and peered down into the water again.

Into a pair of orange eyes. She gasped and reared back, and nearly stumbled into Kenshin, who had materialized at her side. "Kaoru-dono?" His hand was already at his sword.

"There's someone in the water." Her hand was shaking, she noted with dim embarrassment. Kenshin slowly, carefully, led her away from the brook. But he didn't turn his back on it.

"You're certain?"

"I'm pretty sure my eyes are blue, not orange," she bit back. She was a swordswoman and, goddamnit, she was supposed to be braver than this, but it took all of Kaoru's control not to scream and cling to the guardsman like a ninny. Oibore had drawn up to them by this point and gazed thoughtfully towards the brook.

"Oho, orange, you say? Well, their eyes do come in a variety of shapes and colours," the hunter mused.

"Their?" Kaoru asked weakly. Her uncle nodded, but his eyes never strayed from the babbling water.

"Oh yes. Congratulations, Kaoru-chan. It seems that you've piqued the interest of a kitsune."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: Wow, that's a whole mess of page views. :D This story was something I began writing for myself and posted on a whim. I was almost dead certain it wasn't gonna merit more than a few page views, so to everyone who's taken a look, left a review, or decided to follow, thank you very much!

I'm really excited to see that there are a few readers who are familiar with "Summers at Castle Auburn". As I posted on my profile, this story will deviate dramatically from its source material. So for those who've read the original by Sharon Shinn, expect some familiar scenes but be prepared for some twists. I'd also ask that you try not to post too many spoilers in the reviews, if possible. I'd like to keep some elements of the overall storyline a surprise for readers who haven't read the book.

My fall term at university is right around the corner, so I'll be staggering the updates more. I'll try to post a chapter roughly every 1-2 weeks. No worries, though: I already have chapters 5, 6, and 7 scribbled down and have post-its with notes all the way to the conclusion.

Hope you enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o

Chapter 4

Kaoru barely got any sleep that night. She was surprised to find she was able to rest at all. After her brain processed Oibore's words, the young girl had dashed off to her tent, dragged her blankets out, and arranged them close to the fire near her uncle's bedroll. Like hell she was about to sleep alone in her tent now, propriety be damned. Oibore and Kenshin were speaking in low tones, probably to avoid alerting their other camp mates. She shivered and rubbed the enchanted metal cuff around her left wrist. Her bokken rested on the ground within arm's reach.

"Kaoru-chan," her uncle whispered. Her head shot up. "Easy, child. I've inspected the brook; whoever was hiding in there has long since gone." In the firelight, his eyes glittered, black and sharp. "It was probably a youthful kitsune curious about our group. A foolish one at that, to come so close; it probably didn't realize we had holy amulets at our disposal. Had it surprised a more seasoned hunter, it would have almost certainly been captured." Kaoru wasn't sure if he was saying that for her benefit or for any lingering guests. Probably both. Her uncle ruffled her hair. "You were never in any danger. The talisman around your wrist would have protected you from any foxy mischief."

Off to the side, Kenshin had re-assumed his seat by the tree, eyes carefully surveying the clearing. Earlier, he and Oibore had discussed keeping watch during the night. Kenshin was to take the first shift and would stand guard until one in the morning, then Oibore would take over until dawn. The light from the fire shimmered off the metal cuff around his wrist and made it glow in the darkness, and Kaoru was suddenly fiercely glad she had insisted he wear it earlier. Who knows what would've happened if it the guardsman had gone to the brook unprotected? She shuddered again and rubbed her arms, trying to banish that particular train of thought. Oibore watched her with a careful eye.

"You're safe, my niece, don't fret," he said, "as are the rest of our companions. Kenshin's already checked their tents. To be honest, I'm surprised you managed to spot the kitsune. I imagine it cloaked itself in an illusion to observe our group." Her uncle laughed then, quietly. "I think you surprised it as much as it surprised you."

The young kendo enthusiast grimaced. "Not likely. I thought you said we wouldn't run into any kitsune on this trip, Uncle, since we're such a large group."

"Oho, and here I recall you were disappointed about not getting the chance to see any. It seems you got your wish, Kaoru-chan," Oibore drawled. He patted her shoulder gently, trying to reassure her. "That is what I said, and it's what I believed at the time. I was running under the assumption, however, that we would be dealing with your average clever kitsune. This one was a fool, and is probably getting his or her ears boxed by its parents as we speak." She sighed. "Rest, little one," Oibore said. "Our fearless guard will keep watch for now, and he and I will ensure no creatures attempt any mischief this night." With a final pat on her shoulder, Oibore bade her goodnight and moved to his own bedroll, settling down for sleep.

Kaoru sunk to her own bedroll, still uneasy. She tossed another log onto the fire and cleared away some ash. Embers sparked at the base of the flames. The fourteen-year-old ran a hand through her hair and quickly braided the long black locks to one side. She scowled when she felt her hands tremble. "Enough of that," the teen quietly berated herself. "Are you a warrior or a mouse?" She sprawled onto her side and stretched out on the bedroll, tucking one arm underneath her head as a pillow. In her free hand she gripped her bokken.

Before she let the warmth of the fire lull her to sleep, Kaoru twisted around to see how their guard was faring. It wasn't fair that he had to sacrifice some sleep just because she was a ninny. If Kenshin held any grudge against her, though, he was hiding it well; the guardsman's gaze was friendly and comforting. He shot her a warm smile and mouthed 'sleep well.' The young girl nodded in gratitude and allowed herself to succumb to darkness.

* * *

She woke at dawn to Shinsaku's shouts. "Alright, which one of you lot messed with my horse?!" Kaoru tumbled awake, bokken raised, and squinted at the young prince. Eyes flashing, mouth turned downward into an impressive frown, the prince had his hands gripping his horse's reins so tightly she could hear his knuckles crack. And the horse... Kaoru slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles. The poor beast was covered in obnoxious pink and yellow ribbons from head to hoof. It pawed at the ground and nickered, braided tail twitching in embarrassment. The rest of the company's horses were unmolested.

Oibore, standing at Hira's side as the younger boy was making breakfast, shrugged. "You mean it wasn't you?"

The prince stomped his foot like a child and bellowed, "Of course not! Why would I ever inflict this insult on any creature?!"

"Oho, I don't know," the hunter mused. "I think it's rather fetching." Kaoru thought Shinsaku was going to have a stroke before this trip was over. That, or strangle her uncle, by the way his hands twitched.

She came to her feet and rolled her shoulders, wincing at the stiffness. Given how calmly the others moved around camp, the young girl guessed that neither her uncle nor their guardsman mentioned anything about their late-night guest. She wasn't sure whether to be grateful or not. While she didn't relish the thought of them teasing her for her fear, wouldn't it have been better for everyone to know that something was watching them in the forest? Then again, she mused, Oibore _had_ said it was a one-time thing and nothing really to fret about. Perhaps it was better to avoid needlessly worrying the others. Heaven knows Hira would probably faint on the spot, Kaoru thought with a short shake of her head.

The company settled down for a quick breakfast of porridge and dried berries before heading back on the path. They remained on foot, guiding their horses through the thick underbrush and tangle of roots. Shinsaku did his best but he couldn't unbraid all of the ribbons from his horse and so some remained entangled in the horse's tail, swishing as the beast trotted along. Akira had teased him all morning about it and was now nursing a bruised arm, having been a bit too slow to dodge the prince's fist.

Kenshin trailed behind the others. The guardsman was amused by the situation, if the way his lips threatened to twitch upwards into a smile was anything to go by. But his eyes were guarded. They flitted to and fro as if trying to scan the entire bamboo forest around him and lock it all in memory.

"Hey," Kaoru murmured, elbowing his softly, "what's on your mind?" The guardsman shook his head, but when she continued to stare him down he quailed.

"Last night," he began, "Kaoru-dono's uncle said we were merely being spied on by a young, foolish kit. That no adult fox in its right mind would approach a group this size and so armed, that it wouldn't." Kaoru nodded, encouraging him to continue. "Yet," the guardsman said, a slight frown on his face, "something returned during the night to drape the prince's horse with ribbons, and did it in such a way that neither I nor Oibore-sama noticed until the morning. Which makes me wonder whether the kitsune Kaoru-dono saw in the brook last night was indeed young and foolish, or deliberately messing with us."

Kaoru started. "But my uncle..." she trailed off, staring at the back of Oibore's head.

The red-head spoke very softly, "Oibore-sama saw that his niece was frightened last night and wanted to reassure her, that he did. And who knows? Maybe he truly believed at the time that you were surprised by nothing more than a wayward kit. But I saw his eyes at the end of my shift. He hadn't slept at all, Kaoru-dono." She gulped. "I think your uncle has realized that something in the forest has taken a liking to us. And it's something more worrisome than a young kit, that it is."

They walked on in tense silence. Up ahead, Hira and Akira were engrossed in an intense conversation regarding cicadas. Apparently the young chef was insisting that cicadas were edible, if one cooked them right, and judging by his sour face, the prince's cousin refused to consider it.

Finally, Kaoru pinched the bridge of her nose with an aggravated sigh. "Man, you really are paranoid," she grumbled.

The guardsman "oro'd" and scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. She shook her head, "Though you're probably right. It sounds like something Oibore would do. He knew I'd insist on keeping watch if he hinted that there was actually something to be worried about. Still."

"Your uncle is a clever man, Kaoru-dono. He would not drag you into needless danger if he could help it," the guardsman reassured her. "He is the best at what he does. Trust his expertise."

"And what, ensure that if I get nabbed by kitsune, he goes down with me? You said it yourself that that strategy sucks." She pouted. Kenshin ducked his head, trying to muffle his laughter.

"Not in so many wor-_yeouch!_"The red-head rubbed the lump where she had struck him with her bokken. Kaoru stalked off ahead with a growl.

0o0o0o0o0o

They traveled on, stopping briefly to rest their legs before picking up again. Kaoru's feet dragged more on the path with each new footfall, and the air was heavy and thick under the canopy of trees. By the time the sun arched in the middle of the sky, she was thoroughly miserable. She took a grateful sip from the canteen Akira offered. As she handed it back, her ears caught the sound of rushing water. Kaoru nudged the prince's cousin.

"Akira-kun, do you hear that?" The dark-haired boy paused and frowned, listening intently. She continued, "We must be close to the Oi River."

The teenager next to her huffed a laugh. "Finally. I was about to insist Oibore-san carry me the rest of the way. My feet are aching," he groused, and bent down to rub his calves.

Kaoru bopped him lightly on the shoulder. "We're nearly there, come on. What kind of noble are you?"

"The kind that prefers carriages. Ugh, remind me next time there's an adventure to be had to just stay home with Tomoe-chan." Akira straightened his back and followed the slim girl down the path.

She was right; as they rounded the corner, there was a break in the forest. In another minute, they were free of the trees, and faced with an awe-inspiring sight. Sprawled out in front of them was a magnificent valley, all green hills and peaks as far as the eye could see, and the Oi river churning and carving a path down the middle. The land before them sloped down towards the river. Kaoru moved as quickly as she could, gently urging her horse down the mossy slope. She was sticky and sweaty and the prospect of a nice, cleansing swim spurred her on.

The company made their way to the riverbank. There was a bend in the land, marked by large boulders, that formed a natural pool. Before them, the water glittered and beckoned in the noonday sun. To her left, Akira breathed, "It's as pretty as a painting. You'd almost swear it was magic."

"Oho, you are correct, Akira-kun. These waters are enchanted and course over sacred ground. Taste it, and you'll swear you've never sampled water so clear and cool in your life." Oibore gazed at the river like a proud father.

Kenshin was scanning the area, casting his gaze to the pool before looking up north where the river curved out of sight and back into the forest. The prince, too, was looking around. "So, where are the kitsune?" Shinsaku demanded.

Oibore gestured to the trees that littered the banks on the opposite side of the river. "There. From that point, you are in true kitsune territory." Kaoru squinted. It looked like any other patch of forest to her. Maybe the trees were a little more crowded together and as a result the darkness seemed more rich on that side than on their own river bank. But nothing about the area warned, "Here be kitsune." It was almost disappointing. Apparently, Shinsaku felt the same way, because he rolled his eyes.

Her uncle caught his expression and wagged a finger. "Mock if you must, but I tell you, no hunter has ventured far into those woods by himself and returned. They say the palace of Tamamo no Mae, the nine-tailed queen of kitsunes herself, lies within. Many a hunter has tried to find it, for the palace is said to contain riches beyond compare, and many have been lost to the trickster queen." There was a heavy pause.

Akira was the first to crack the silence. "Oibore-sama, if none of the hunters have returned, then how do you know if they went out looking for Tamamo no Mae's palace in the first place?"

"Ahh, Akira-kun, every kitsune hunter worth his salt has gone looking for the palace at one time or another," Oibore said, stroking his beard. His eyes never strayed from the forest that clustered on the other side of the river. "I've tried to find it several times, in fact. Who knows how I missed it? Perhaps the kitsune cloak the palace in an illusion and I walked right past it? Perhaps the palace was farther within the forest, and I simply did not travel long enough." His lips twisted into a bitter smile. "All I know is that I have not been able to find it."

"Then what makes you think the other hunters have been lost to the kitsune? You made it back," Shinsaku said.

"Only because, as Kaoru-chan can tell you, I am the luckiest old man to walk the earth," he cackled. Her uncle sobered up fast, though, and continued, "I was familiar with many of the hunters who made the attempt and were lost. Some were great men, every bit as talented as I, and not likely to simply get lost in the wilderness. Of course, there are many ways for a lone hunter to die here: twist an ankle, catch a fever, those sorts of things." He said it so flippantly that Kaoru imagined her uncle had heard of one too many novice hunters succumbing to such a fate. "But these men? Kuro, Katakai, and others? No, I could not imagine them falling to such ignominious deaths."

"So, what do you think happened to them?" The prince pressed. An odd look glazed over Oibore's black eyes, and in that moment, they looked looked more like they belonged to a boar than a man. Kaoru couldn't help but draw back a half step. No one noticed, or if they did they didn't comment on it. Her uncle cleared his throat, and the frightening shine in his eyes melted away.

"Oho, what do I think? I think some of them were found by Tamamo no Mae. Maybe they made it to the palace, or she captured them while they wandered the woods. Perhaps she stole their holy talismans and had them bound in chains and made slaves, like we do at Ninomaru. Or maybe she bewitched them and they have willingly remained at her side all these years. I only know that, once lost, these men have never been found. Not even their corpses," he concluded in a distant voice.

Despite her earlier fear, Kaoru placed a gentle hand on Oibore's arm. Her poor uncle, to have lost so many friends to this forest. He sighed and patted her hand in gratitude. "No use in indulging in old memories. Everyone," he finally ripped his eyes away from the forest banks across the river, "let's make camp here. Once we strip down the horses, we can clean ourselves up with a nice swim."

Hira glanced from the river to the hunter to the river again. "Erm, but, the river-" but Oibore grinned.

"Have no fear, Chef Hira. The river is safe enough. Just keep your talisman on you, and you'll be fine." The group quietly split up to make camp. No one, Kaoru noticed, made a move for the river, now that the story of the lost hunters weighed on their shoulders. Instead, they busied themselves setting up their tents and creating a fire pit. Even so, the young girl gazed longingly at the water. The sun, perched high in the sky, seared the earth around them. She scratched at a patch of dirt behind her ear.

"That's it," she declared. "I don't care if I am bewitched. If the kitsunes get me, tell Tomoe-chan I love her. And Maekawa-sensei that I'm sorry for burning his birthday dinner." She stripped down to her hakama and breast bindings, tossed her dusty, mud-caked gi to one side, and dove in with a shout. Somewhere, she could hear her mental Ouka shrieking about "propriety" and "modesty," but she tuned out that internalized voice and floated in the water. The river was cool, but not freezing, and deliciously refreshing against her sun-baked skin. The metal cuff was an uncomfortable weight that dragged her arm, but Kaoru was able to account for it. Twisting her body in the water, she kicked herself to the surface.

Akira and Kenshin had stripped down to their hakama as well and were splashing their way over. "Oy, Kaoru-chan!" The dark-haired boy shook a fist. "Don't drown yourself in there! Tomoe-chan would never forgive us!"

"You're one to talk," she said, and stuck out her tongue. "Noble brat like yourself? I bet I can out-swim you any day of the week."

"Hoo, big talk from a village hoyden. Let's see you handle _this!_" He grinned and grabbed her around the waist and tossed her back in the water. Kaoru came up sputtering like a wet cat.

"Ugh!" She shoved great lunks of her hair from her face. Akira was clutching his belly and doubled over in mirth, while their guardsman coughed, turning away to hide his grin. "Oh, I see how it is. Prepare yourselves, men!" She roared and leapt for the nearest foe, which happened to be Akira, and dunked him under. While they fought and splashed about, Oibore and the prince cleaned themselves more sedately. Hira washed his chest and arms but resolved to remain onshore; he wasn't a very good swimmer, he admitted.

Eventually, Akira and Kaoru tired themselves out and declared a truce. Shinsaku, who had managed to avoid much of the fray, took to skipping stones he had found at the bottom of the pool. His dark hair was sleeked back from his face, throwing his high cheekbones and strong chin in severe relief. The river swallowed the first two stones, so the prince adjusted his stance and sent the next one skipping downstream. He grinned, pleased with his success, and the entire effect was so lovely that Kaoru had to turn away to conceal her blush.

She busied herself with combing out her thick, blue-black hair. It was Kaoru's only real claim to beauty. Even Ouka admitted her it was lovely, begrudging as the compliment was. But right now it wasn't so lovely, chock full of dirt and sweat as it was. She swore there were even twigs in there. Kaoru dove under the water several times to get it clean. Every time she surfaced, she found Kenshin keeping an eye on her.

"I'm not gonna drown, Kenshin," she pouted and folded her arms. "You don't have to hover."

The guardsman shrugged lightly. His long red hair clung to his neck and broad shoulders. "Hovering is what I was hired to do, that I was," he said by way of explanation. He yelped as Kaoru splashed him.

"Well, you don't have to be so stony about it. Lighten up," she winked. Kenshin lowered the arm he brought up to block the water and had a positively _wicked_ smile on his face. Laughing, she turned tail and swam away.

They played in the water until Hira announced lunch. Oibore cleared his plate fast and patted his belly with a happy sigh. "Ahh, Hira-kun, remind me to take you along on all my hunting expeditions. A man could get used to being spoiled like this."

Shinsaku tore off a piece of bread that Hira tested earlier and crammed it in his mouth. He turned to Oibore. "Sho' wha' now?" the prince mumbled around his food.

"Now, we wait."

Shinsaku swallowed. "Wait? I thought we'd be hunting the kitsune."

Oibore cracked open his eyes and leveled a dry look at the young prince. "One does not go after a kitsune," he explains. "One lures, one beguiles. Once its interest is piqued, a kitsune will pursue its target until its curiosity is sated. The clever hunter makes himself an irresistible object of curiosity and waits until the kitsune reveals themselves. Then, how one goes about cornering the foxes and stealing their hoshi no tamas is purely a matter of preference."

Apparently, this strategy did not suit the prince. "Seriously? I thought we would be crossing the river and tracking them in their own territory!"

"Well, we won't," Oibore said simply, shutting his eyes and ignoring the prince's scowl and gnashing teeth.

Shinsaku rolled to his feet and stalked over to his bags. "Suit yourself," he declared. "I came to _hunt_ kitsune, not lie here like a lump. I'm going to cross the river and I -"

"You will not." The older man's eyes were open now, and they were regarding the prince of Ninomaru with a cold expression. Kaoru swallowed, casting her eyes between her uncle and the prince. Did they always have to argue like this?

The prince persisted. "I will. A hunter, you call yourself," he sneered. It didn't suit him, Kaoru thought in a slight daze. It made his handsome face look twisted and cruel. "The stories of your prowess have been greatly exaggerated indeed. If you catch any kitsunes, it's through sheer luck, or because your prey is stupid enough to walk over and put the shackles on themselves."

Object of affection or not, the prince was going too far. "That's eno-" Kaoru started, but Oibore held up a hand.

"If you cross that river," her uncle said, cold and calm, "I will leave you there. Do you understand? You will never find your way back to this riverbank, nor the path we took to get here. You will be lost in Tamamo no Mae's domain, and you will be either taken prisoner or killed outright. If you cross that river, I will not follow you. I will bid you farewell forever."

Shinsaku was so still Kaoru wondered if he had turned to stone. His mouth worked again. "The regent -"

"The regent, if he wanted his nephew to reach adulthood, should've raised one with better sense. Now, I'm tired of arguing. You are a lad of some intelligence. I've told you what to expect if you continue on with your plan. Make your own decision. I'm taking a nap." With that, Oibore turned his back on the prince, stretched himself out on the bedroll, and for all intents and purposes fell asleep. Everyone stared. Soft, whuffling snores even accompanied the ruse. Kaoru knew her uncle was still wide awake, just in case the prince called his bluff. She didn't think it was likely, though, given how absolutely motionless Shinsaku sat. The air was thick and heavy with tension.

"Pheasant!" Kenshin shouted and streaked off into the forest. Akira followed him instantly, and Kaoru leapt up to join them.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Here we are! Thank you guys for the messages and reviews. University is taking up more time than I anticipated, but no worries: chs 6 and 7 are typed up and I already have a good portion of chapter 8 scribbled down, so there won't be any painfully-long hiatuses anytime soon. Expect chapter 6 same time next week.

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Chapter 5

"I know the prince can be a bit pig-headed at times," said Akira, "but that was just _terrible_. I thought your uncle was going to strike him, I really did." They were deep within the forest now, far away from camp and free to speak. Kenshin slunk on ahead, crossbow in hand, while Kaoru and the prince's cousin followed close behind.

Kaoru worried a hangnail on her thumb. "I've only seen Oibore that mad once, maybe twice before in my life." What was Shinsaku thinking? She turned her bokken in her hand, an old nervous habit. To insult their guide, the best in his field, and accuse him of incompetence? Foolhardy. To insist on hunting magical tricksters on their home turf where so many had fallen before? Suicidal. Kaoru struggled to find some redeeming angle for Shinsaku, but no matter which way she considered the argument, the prince always came out looking like a boor.

"Both of Shinsaku-sama's parents died young. Maybe being orphaned and raised by a bunch of fawning nobles does something to you, I dunno." It was a poor argument and Akira wasted no time in tearing in down.

"Shinsaku-_sama_," he drawled, "is just used to getting his way. He's mad because he's found himself the one person not enamored with his personality with the rank and the guts to stand in his way." Akira slid a hand over his face and massaged his temples. "I really don't know what you see in him, Kaoru-chan."

"He's not always like this, Akira-kun. You know that. Sometimes Shinsaku-sama can be very kind."

"To pretty girls, yes. To the rest of his fellows, not so much." Akira shook his head. "And don't give me that orphan excuse; you're one yourself, and you turned out just fine."

"Only because I had Maekawa-sensei." She clarified. "If I was raised by the royal court, who knows what kind of stuck-up little brat I'd turn out to be?"

The older teen shook his head again and ruffled her hair. "No, no. You're too kind, Kaoru-chan. You're naturally generous. The manner in which one is raised has an impact, I'll give you that, but who a person is at their core doesn't change, no matter their circumstances. My cousin would've been a brat whether he'd be born a pauper or a prince. We just had the misfortune of him being born a prince."

Kaoru frowned. "Now you're just being cruel, Akira-kun. You and Oibore both. I can't excuse Shinsaku's behavior back there, but you two haven't been helping with the way you've been teasing him this whole trip. You've been riling him up when you _know _he has a temper."

"And he is to be king. Do you think the other visiting lords will find it cute when Shinsaku pouts and stomps his foot when he doesn't get his way? No," the dark-haired youth answered himself. "A king can't inflict his bad temper on others, whether they be his subjects or his peers. Or at least a good king _shouldn't_," he clarified.

"He's not like this all the time," Kaoru protested. It sounded weak even to her own ears.

Akira flung his hands up. "And maybe he just needs time to grow up. He is, what, three years younger than I am? Maybe by the time he's my age and married to your sister he'll have learned some good sense. But right now?" He lowered his hands. "I'm embarrassed to call him my cousin. I'll have to beg your uncle's forgiveness later, so he doesn't abandon the kingdom entirely when Shinsaku becomes king."

She hated having her loyalties divided like this. Of course a part of her agreed with Akira and her uncle, but this was Shinsaku, the prince, their future king. Heart and mind struggled for supremacy and heart won.

"You're just jealous, Akira-kun. No, don't deny it!" Kaoru raised a palm to silence his protests. "Don't lie to me. I've known you for half my life. You wish that you were the crown prince and Shinsaku the son of the regent, don't you? You think you could do a better job."

"Nearly any man could do a better job than Shinsaku, Kaoru-chan," he said softly. "You say you know me, but you've only lived with me and my cousin for six summers. I've known him for sixteen _years_."

She opened her mouth to continue their argument, then thought better and shut it with a smack. Kenshin didn't breath a word this entire time. Kaoru wondered what he thought of the young prince he had been hired to serve. She was almost too nervous to ask.

If their guard had any opinion, he didn't share it. He moved smoothly through the forests, crossbow raised. Without warning, he spun to his right, took aim, and shot twice into the underbrush. A small warthog lied bleeding some fifteen feet away, panting hard, eyes rolling. It stared as Kenshin strode over with a small knife and dispassionately slit its throat. Kaoru blinked hard and tried not to feel sick. It was the kindest way of ending the creature's life, given the circumstances, but the impassive expression on the guard's face was a little unnerving.

Akira whistled low. "Impressive. Don't think you could teach me to shoot like that, could you?"

Kenshin wiped the blood off the blade on the grass. "Maybe," he said. "It's simply a matter of focus and practice, that it is. And how good of a student you are, Akira-sama." Again, that ghost of a smile. Kaoru was beginning to realize that Kenshin rarely allowed much emotion to cross his face. The most expressive she'd seen him so far was when she splashed him in the river.

"Ahh, now therein lies the rub," Akira chuckled. "I'm actually a fair student, believe it or not. Kaoru-chan can testify to that. Is there anything I could offer you for your tutelage? Maybe I could teach you something in turn?"

_There_ – that was a bit of emotion. The guardsman seemed to struggle for a half-second before his face smoothed over into its usual calm demeanor. "Would Akira-sama...," he paused, and worked the words over in his mouth. "Would Akira-sama condescend to teach this lowly one his letters?"

The teenager considered the guardsman for a moment, eyebrows raised. "Done." The red-head fell into a bow. They moved to gather the warthog and trussed it up with some cord that Kenshin had on him. Kaoru guessed that Akira answered quickly because he was surprised. Academic that he was, he probably didn't realize that many of the men and women serving the palace were illiterate. Kenshin had probably signed up in a local militia as a young boy like most of the other guardsman. No time for school then, if there even was one in his village to begin with. Her own village, Hinohara, lacked one; Kaoru hadn't learned how to read and write until Tomoe had seen her glaring balefully at her books and offered to teach her.

Now with a fresh kill on their hands, they couldn't loiter in the woods any longer. The trio turned back to the campsite, Kaoru leading the way this time, with Akira carrying the warthog and Kenshin bringing up the rear. Oibore was still snoozing away on his bedroll when they returned. Shinsaku, embarrassingly enough, was still sulking, knees drawn up and eyes boring into the forest across the river. Up ahead, waist deep in the water, was Hira. He had fashioned a fishing pole for himself and had three, fat fish laying on a rock behind him to show for his success.

"Nicely done, Chef Hira!" Akira whooped. "We'll have to split the designation of 'most valuable teammate' between you and Himura-san!" Hira laughed and rubbed the back of his neck with a pleased blush.

Dinner was a quiet affair. After the group had polished their meals and cleaned up, they settled around the campfire to tell stories. Well, most of them, at least, Kaoru noted dryly. The prince was still hanging off to one side like a petulant martyr, probably refusing to join in the festivities until someone acknowledged the deep wounds Oibore had carved into his honor. She wondered at herself then. When had she grown to be so unkind to the prince? Perhaps Akira was more of a bad influence on her than she realized, the girl thought with a brisk shake of her head.

Her uncle had woken up from his nap and pulled out a bottle of sake, so Kaoru poured drinks for the men. Above them, the stars hung thick and heavy in the night sky. Oibore had a wonderful knack for story-telling. He could paint pictures of mad cities and coral reefs and treacherous mountain peaks so well in your mind you'd swear you had seen them for yourself. Akira chipped in a story or two, mostly about former kings and queens of Ninomaru and their noble deeds. Even Kaoru had shared a few old village tales: of dastardly witches and brave woodsmen, of captured princes and the brave village girls who sought to free them. ("Of course the women are doing the saving, you feminist," the prince's cousin had muttered, and dodged a shoe for his trouble.)

Eventually their exhaustion from the day's events caught up with them. After spotting Kaoru trying to smother her third yawn, her uncle had declared it to be bedtime and sent them all to their tents. Well, most of them; the prince had lingered to hear a few stories, but had already retired to his own tent. Kaoru dragged her bedroll over to the fire. Though the night was lovely, she still couldn't shake the image of those orange eyes from her mind. She knew that if she tried to rest in her tent she would just lie awake with one hand gripped tight on her weapon. This way, at least, the young girl could stare up at the night sky and hear the river burbling, and she hoped that the combination of the two plus Oibore's presence would lull her to sleep.

Her uncle had waved away the guardsman's offer to stand watch. "Oho, I spent most of the afternoon snoozing away, anyway. Get some rest, Himura-kun." Kenshin nodded and bade them both goodnight. Oibore tossed another log on the fire and settled onto his bedroll with a content grunt. He rested his elbows on his knees and smiled warmly at his niece. The firelight cast an eerie glare on his glasses. "So, my niece, what do you think?"

"About what?" she asked in a quiet voice. It was the first time she was able to speak with her uncle without prying ears, and Kaoru was curious to hear what thoughts were rumbling around in Oibore's head.

The hunter rolled his shoulders and gestured to the camp. "This trip, our companions, the kitsune. This is your first hunting expedition, and I'd like to hear my niece's rating of it."

"It's been great," she said. And it _was_ – muggy weather and arguments aside, she had been enjoying herself. "Mt. Arashiyama is everything I thought it'd be and more. Plus, this trip has been good for Akira-kun and Hira-kun. Did you see that smile on Hira-kun's face when he caught the trout? I think this trip has helped boost his self-confidence a little. And you know how Akira-kun's usually got his nose buried in a book, so any chance to drag him outdoors is good," she concluded.

"Not the prince, though," Oibore noted.

"No, no I think it's been good for him, too." His eyebrows shot up. "No, seriously, hear me out. I was talking with Akira-kun, and I realized that Shinsaku-sama's become too used to people jumping at his every beck and call. He should learn there are limits to what a prince is allowed to do. I think he's already learning a bit of that; did you see how he drifted over to listen to us tell stories 'round the campfire? He wanted to join us but was too ashamed of his behavior earlier. Maybe this trip will teach him some humility."

Her uncle sighed through his nose. "Kaoru-chan, your compassion could rival Amaterasu's. I hope you are right, though I have my doubts anything could lessen that boy's sense of self-importance. Maybe if he was younger and more malleable." His hand came up to adjust the glasses on his face. "And our fearless guardsman? What are your thoughts on him?"

"I like him," she said firmly. "He's quiet, but kind. Smart, too." The red-head's earlier words about the kitsune threat loomed large in her mind. "He's also insanely paranoid," Kaoru chirped. Oibore tried to muffle his chuckles. She dropped the hammer. "He thinks that we're being messed with by a powerful kitsune."

Ahh, and Kenshin was right, the young girl thought. Oibore froze for a moment, and even though he had recovered quick, Kaoru had _saw_ that that had surprised him. Her uncle took off his glasses to clean them against his shirt.

"Oho, is that what he told you?" he murmured.

"Is he right?" Kaoru knew she had her uncle cornered. No way he was going to be able to laugh this off now.

Oibore knew it, too; he lifted a hand, indicating surrender. "Sharp man. Yes, I fear that we've proven irresistibly interesting to something in the forest. I did not mean to deceive you, Kaoru-chan," he explained by way of apology. "I wanted to wait until I was sure before I mentioned anything to our company. No use in making them witless with fear if there's no threat. However," he paused, returning the glasses to his face, "if my suspicions are right, then I am familiar this particular kitsune. Those ribbons she left on Shinsaku's horse are a calling card of hers."

"Is she dangerous?" her words came out in a whisper.

"Very." He stared long and hard at the forest that collected on the opposite river bank. "But," and here his voice adopted an odd sort of cheery calm, "even she is impotent in the face of holy amulets. So long as we wear them, she won't be able to snake into our thoughts. And it's important that we _all_ wear them," Oibore continued. "One time, I was traveling with a band of three other men. One had foolishly taken off his amulet as he bathed. The rest of us were asleep – it was still early in the morning, you see? I woke to the sound of my companions running off into the forest. A kitsune had bewitched the first man and bade him to remove the others' amulets. I woke up just in time to see him reaching for the charm around my neck." Her uncle absentmindedly rubbed his collarbone, as if trying to ward away the memory.

Kaoru tried to squelch her terror. "So that's why you were so mad when the prince refused to wear one."

"He would've endangered us all, yes," Oibore nodded. Kaoru tried hard to be brave then, but the urge to dive under her blankets and scream was almost overwhelming. She settled for rubbing her arms to rid herself of the goosebumps. "You are safe, Kaoru-chan," her uncle spoke softly. "I will not allow any kitsunes to spirit you away. I swear on my honor as a Yukishiro. And as your uncle," Oibore straightened, "it wouldn't do to lose one of my nieces in the forest, now would it? Tomoe-chan would kill me for it, doubtless."

"Tomoe-chan is too kind to harm a flea," Kaoru groused. "Whenever there's a spider in her chambers, she just scoops it up in a cup and releases it outside." Her uncle's words comforted her, though, and she laid down on her bedroll. "I trust you," she breathed, letting her eyelids finally drop. Heavy with sleep, she couldn't spare more than a spare thought about how strange it was that Oibore flinched just then.

0o0o0o0

Kaoru didn't know what exactly woke her up. The young girl was suddenly sucked from a dream about daikon radishes and books with wings and jolted right into reality. She froze, rigid on the bedroll. Something, instincts maybe, told her to stay utterly still. In the dying firelight, it was hard to see much of the campsite. There was enough light from the moon to make out Oibore's silhouette as he stood at the water's edge. He was addressing an unspeakably beautiful woman who was standing on the water. _On it_. Kaoru's mind reeled. And she had _tails_.

"...silly to bring children to such a place. Did you really think I wouldn't notice you entering my domain, Oibore?" The woman – kitsune, Kaoru corrected belatedly – chuckled low and stroked a tail. Her laugh sounded like a river creek, melodious and perfect and utterly terrifying. Even from this distance, she could see how her form glowed with an amber-orange aura. The teenager had absolutely no idea what was going on, but she was resolved to find out as much as she could. She strained her ears to hear her uncle's response.

"Oho, I don't know about that. I thought you would be too busy up at the palace to worry about such a small company of novice adventurers, Tamamo no Mae," her uncle replied easily enough. Kaoru bit back a scream. This wasn't just any powerful kitsune – this was the queen! She thought back to their other campsite with the babbling brook and the steady, orange eyes that had gazed back at her. She wondered if she should faint right about now.

The kitsune queen smiled at her uncle, her nine tails twitching in amusement. "I'm never too busy for you, Oibore. Turn my back on you, and I lose another three or four subjects. What will it take for you to stop hunting my people, hm?"

"You know. You've always known why I do this, Tamamo no Mae," her uncle said sharply.

"I do," she nodded. Was that regret that Kaoru saw on the queen's face? Or was it a lie? Kitsunes were tricksters above all else. Tamamo no Mae continued, in a soft voice, "I know that it has driven you to unspeakable lengths, Yukishiro Oibore. What were you thinking, making a deal with Okkoto? He will sooner consume your soul than adhere to a bargain."

"He will adhere to this one. I have ensured it," her uncle replied. The queen's tails twitched.

"How?"

"Ohoho, not so fast, my curious queen," the hunter said, cocking his head to the side. "First things first: where is my son?"

What? Kaoru stared in horror at her uncle. What was he saying? Her cousin Yukishiro Enishi was long since dead. He had drowned in a brook when he was only two or three years of age, well before Kaoru had even heard about the Yukishiro's, and the shock had ate at his mother's heart until she passed away. She had gotten the story out of Ouka one sad, rainy afternoon, when the woman was in one of her kinder moods. Kaoru had asked because she had found Tomoe-chan in her chambers clutching a faded little boy's shirt and crying. Was he really alive all this time?

Tamamo no Mae regarded the hunter with a calm stare. "In my palace, where he has stayed ever since your fool wife tried to drown him in my river. Why should I hand him back to the humans who had so wantonly cast him aside?"

Oibore growled under his breath. She thought it sounded oddly like the warthog Kenshin had killed earlier that afternoon. Her mind flailed for something solid and concrete to hold onto. "I never cast him aside. I've been searching for him for _twelve years_. I've come here, time and time again, to Mt. Arashiyama to bring him home. What more must I do to prove to you that I love him, you cruel creature?"

The queen's tails swirled around her like snakes. "It is not about _proof_, hunter. Your wife tried to drown your child because she feared he had kitsune blood in him. Such an insult," her ruby lips twisted into a scowl. "She should have been honored to have the chance to raise such a magnificent boy. He's cleverer than you, Oibore, and when he fights he moves like the very wind. He will make a fine man one day. And he will have _nothing_ to do with your callous family."

"You judge me and my relatives harshly for the actions of one woman," her uncle said tiredly. Apparently, this was an old argument.

Tamamo no Mae sniffed. "You've given me nothing to believe you have changed your attitude. You march around Japan enslaving my people, dragging them off to your human palaces. And for what? To bow and scrape at the feet of wretched human lords? Is this how you prove yourself, Oibore? Or do you think that if you steal enough kitsunes, one will be fool enough to tell you how to find my palace so you can retrieve your son? Nonsense," she shook her head, and invisible bells chimed with the movement. "You'd do better by showing kindness to my kind. Maybe _then_ I'd consider letting you see Enishi."

"You are a liar. It wouldn't matter if I built them a palace that stretched to the heavens. You have no intention of returning Enishi, and I will do what I must to take him back," Oibore said softly but firmly.

Angry orange light flashed around the queen then. It was like a sun burst over the water. Kaoru winced and blinked back the tears. _How_ was no one else awake yet? Yet she heard nothing but soft snores from the tents. She turned her eyes back to her uncle and the kitsune queen and noticed with a start that Tamamo no Mae had vanished. There wasn't even a ripple in the water to mark her passing.

Oibore stalked over and Kaoru composed her face to feign sleep. She heard her uncle's heavy footfalls, the sound of wood being dragged atop the fire, the crackles of the hungry flames. She wasn't prepared to look at him right now - there was just too much rolling around in her mind. Doubtless he'd rather not speak of it either. _Six years_ she had known him, and he never breathed a word! Kaoru lay for what felt like hours until she heard Oibore grunt and the shifting of blankets that let her know he had allowed himself to rest. Then she finally let herself sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Shorter chapter this time around. I'll try to make up for it by adding more meat to chapters 7 and 8. Again, thanks for the views and reviews!

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Chapter 6

Kenshin found her in the morning. Dawn had just broken, golden rays casting a soft glow over the valley. Kaoru heard the guardsman pause as he shuffled out of his tent. She could almost picture the confusion on his face - probably wondering why she was sitting at the riverbank by herself so early in the day. Soft footfalls made their way over, scuffing the dirt to alert her of his presence. He needn't have bothered; Kaoru was wound so tight that she figured she could've heard a mouse scurrying on the other side of camp, much less a soldier.

On the opposite side of camp slept Oibore. A distant part of her was glad her uncle was able to rest. The other was painfully aware of how much she had turned and tossed during the night and how, when she did sleep, her dreams were plagued by rushing rivers and screaming little boys and hands that held her underwater until her lungs _burned_. The young girl fisted her hands in the fabric of her hakama and bowed her head. She really, really didn't want to explain to Kenshin right now why she was sitting by herself at the riverbank and crying.

Thankfully, he hadn't needed an explanation. The red-head took one look at Kaoru's face and politely averted his eyes. She sniffled, unable to help herself, and roughly dragged one edge of her gi to wipe away the tear tracks. "Sorry."

Kenshin stood there for a moment. She guessed the guardsman was weighing whether to stay or leave her to her private grief. She wasn't sure which option she preferred herself. After a moment's hesitation, he walked away. Kaoru bit her lip hard to swallow a sob. Okay, she definitely needed a shoulder to cry on, and Kenshin should've stayed, and goddamn, this was going to make things awkward on the trip home -

He came back and sat down next to her. Another moment later, she saw a fishing line cast into the river. "Mornings are my favorite time of day, that they are," the red-head murmured. "My shishou used to say that the sunrise could burn away anything, be they nightmares... or a hangover."

Kaoru's lips curved up into a wobbly smile. So he wasn't going to pry. She cleared her throat and tried to force some cheerfulness in her voice. "Your shishou is a terribly drunk, isn't he?"

From the corner of her eye, she saw the guardsman's nod. "Without a doubt. During the first few weeks of my apprenticeship, he had me running down the mountainside to get him sake from town and would time how long I took, that he did. Training, he called it," he groused, running a hand over his face. His bangs burned copper-red in the soft glow of the morning. Among the greens and blues of the valley, the guardsman stuck out in sharp relief, like a cardinal in a cypress tree.

The idea of a baby-faced Kenshin lugging a massive jug of sake up a mountain, though, had Kaoru choking back a laugh. "Can't say that Maekawa-sensei ever had me doing that," the young girl admitted. "But he does have this really nasty habit of chasing us as we do our morning laps and tripping us if we're moving too slow. Disgustingly cheerful about it, too, the old bastard."

The guardsman winced sympathetically, and they spent the next hour trading stories and collecting fish. Kaoru was grateful for the company. She sent a silent prayer of gratitude that it had been Kenshin, and not any of the others, who had discovered her at the riverbank.

When the rest of the group began to stir, Kenshin gathered his line and handed the fish off to an eager, pan-wielding Hira. The red-head caught her gaze then and smiled, oh so softly, and Kaoru knew with an iron certainty that he would never breathe a word about her tears to the others. She scrubbed her face in the river and joined the company for breakfast.

0o0o0o0o

They ate quickly. After the men washed in the river (Akira chucked a gi over her head. "No peeking!"), they disassembled their tents and readied their horses. Prince Shinsaku's foul mood had finally lifted, at least. He clapped Hira on the shoulder and thanked him for breakfast, then turned to Kenshin and asked the guardsman if he could join him on his next hunting excursion. "If you don't mind, of course," he insisted. What guardsman could say no to his prince? Kaoru heard the red-head murmur some sort of promise as she strapped her bags to her horse.

Oibore cheerfully putted about, humming some sort of tune as he smothered the campfire. He hadn't said a word about last night, hadn't given a single indication anything out of the ordinary had occurred. It disturbed Kaoru to realize what a truly excellent liar her uncle was.

Then again, why did she expect him to say anything? Did she really think he was going to sit them down and tell them, "Oho, so my young adventurers, my late wife tried to kill our only child twelve years ago, but he was rescued by the queen of the kitsunes, and I've been trying to get him back ever since"? Of course not. Oibore's secrets were his own. He clearly hadn't intended for anyone else to hear his conversation with Tamamo no Mae last night.

Still, it bothered her to realize that she understood so little about her uncle. Kaoru wondered briefly if Tomoe knew the truth about their cousin Enishi. Probably not.

"You seem deep in thought this morning, Kaoru-chan." Speak of the devil-! Oibore was watching her carefully, arms folded, with a slight frown on his lips. Her heart pounded. What could she say?

"Bad dreams, Uncle," she admitted. It was kind of the truth, anyway. And the right thing to say, for Oibore's face (were those shadows under his eyes from last night? Was he also tortured by Enishi's voice?) went from stern to gentle.

"Ahh, child, I see I shouldn't have said anything to you last night. All that talk of kitsunes gave you nightmares, eh?" When she nodded - it _was_ true, in a way, if you squinted - he sighed. He ruffled her hair in apology. "Look at me, making my niece fret over shadows. And to what end? As you can see, our company has survived the trip un-kitsunied." Oibore grinned then, and stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Well, I hope. I haven't really inspected the lot yet. Maybe the prince has been spirited off and replaced with a much more even-tempered illusion."

It was easy to pretend nothing was amiss, Kaoru realized as she giggled and lightly punched her uncle on the shoulder. Perhaps this was how uncle navigated the world: indulging in silliness and using them as a cover for the deep wounds that marked his soul. She honestly couldn't blame him. The company gathered their horses and made their way back into the forest, away from the riverbank and Tamamo no Mae's palace.

The trip back to Ninomaru felt both twice as long and far too fast. They drove on for miles, deciding to make camp one last time after it was decided the company was too tired, grimy, and spent to ride through the night. Kaoru tried to drive away the shadows that lingered at the edges of her mind by teasing Akira and chatting with the others. She even earned a chuckle out of the prince during dinner. But she couldn't bring herself to look Oibore in the eye, and when she tucked into bedroll for sleep, Kaoru's fingers fretfully traced the enchanted shackle on her wrist. She never told her uncle about what she heard that night on the banks of the Oi River.

0o0o0o0o

They made it back to Ninomaru in the morning, four days after they had set out from the palace. As soon as they reached the stables, Prince Shinsaku left his horse with the groomsman and strode towards the palace. No doubt he missed civilized company. Or perhaps he really wanted a warm soak in the bathhouse. Heavens knew that Kaoru was ready for a long, hot bath. Maybe if she hadn't feel so dead on her feet, she'd do just that.

With a limp wave, the fourteen-year-old left Kenshin and Akira, who were busy discussing lesson plans in the stables, and allowed her feet to take her to her rooms. The chirps the wood made beneath her shoes soothed her frazzled nerves. The floors of Ninomaru Palace were constructed in such a way as to squeak whenever stepped on. Tomoe told her once that it was so that the palace inhabitants would be alerted to the presence of any intruders. Kaoru thought they were just a hassle; hard to sneak away from undesirables when the floors could tattle on you. But the chirps reminded her of the birds that nested by Maekawa-sensei's dojo, and so she let the familiar sound wash over her and take away the tension in her muscles.

Before long she was at the door to the Third Chamber. It was blissfully empty, so Kaoru crossed the common room that linked her and her sisters' bedrooms, dropped her packs, and collapsed on her futon. For once, her dreams were free of lost little cousins and kitsunes.


	7. Chapter 7

Here we go! Hope y'all enjoy this installment. It may take me a bit longer to upload the next chapter, though, as I won't have much time to hack away at it in the upcoming weeks. Ideally, chapter 8 will be up sometime around October 5th.

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Chapter 7

"Of course you can't change out of those muddy clothes before crawling into your nice, clean futon," a voice muttered to her left. Kaoru smelt the faint whiff of medicinal herbs mixed with perfume and groaned into her pillow. "Oh, enough of that," the voice scolded. "I shall tell the maids not to bother preparing your room next time since you seem to enjoy wallowing in your own filth, little tanuki."

Kaoru cracked open a bleary eye. "I missed you too, Megumi."

Megumi chuckled warmly. "Welcome back, Kaoru-chan. It was lonely without you here. Did you have a fine trip?" The personal kitsune that Kaoru shared with Tomoe was busy unpacking Kaoru's things. Megumi had been a fixture at Ninomaru for as long as Kaoru had been visiting, yet no matter how many years passed, she never seemed to age a day. Long black locks framed an elegant oval face and sharp brown eyes took in Kaoru's disarray with amusement. One could almost mistake her for a beautiful human woman - if it wasn't for the three tails that swished around her simple kimono or the enchanted shackles that encircled her wrists. Despite the kitsune's barbs, Kaoru knew that Megumi cared for her, in her own way.

"It was good," the teenager answered, trying to stifle a yawn. "How long was I asleep?"

"All day; the sun's just about to set," the kitsune explained, organizing Kaoru's things into vaguely dirty, very dirty, and unsalvageable. "Your sister's been by, but she thought it best to let you rest. I'd also be very, very careful when leaving your chambers. Ouka has been on a rampage ever since you left. She was in fits as soon as she heard you left without a chaperone." Megumi continued with an elegantly raised brow, "_How_ did you manage to dodge Ouka that morning? I could have sworn she said she'd be up at first light to see you on your way." Her tails twitched.

Ahh, typical kitsune curiosity. Kaoru stretched her arms high above her head. "Sleeping draught. Nicked it from Dr. Gensai's storehouse when I went in for a poultice for my elbow."

"Well done," the kitsune murmured in approval. There was no love lost between Megumi and Ouka. The latter was fiendishly jealous of the kitsune's easy grace and impeccable beauty. Plus, Megumi could be obstinate in her own subtle way. She always reserved her best manners for Tomoe and the regent, treating Ouka with the barest acceptable level of cordiality. It rankled Lady Yukishiro but there was little she could do. It wasn't as if she could ask the regent to trade kitsunes – even at the palace, there simply weren't enough of the foxy tricksters to go around.

Megumi's shackles clinked as she moved around the room. "I imagine the time spent alone with Prince Shinsaku was a highlight of your travels. Tell me, have you won the young prince's heart yet? One would think you'd have managed by this point considering your bullheaded persistence." Of course the kitsune knew about Kaoru's infatuation with Shinsaku. It was inconceivable that she wouldn't have. Megumi was kind enough not to tease her about it in front of her sister, at least. The prince was still Tomoe's betrothed, and there were lines that the kitsune wouldn't cross. Thank heaven for small favors.

"It actually wasn't that great," Kaoru admitted, drawing her knees to her chest. "I mean, he was nice to me, but Shinsaku-sama has a lousy temper. I kind of already knew that, but it's different knowing something about someone and seeing it in person. He got into the _worst_ arguments with Oibore. The prince kept insisting on doing things his way, and what did my uncle know about hunting, and blah blah blah." She dragged a tired hand over her face.

Megumi came over with a comb and began tackling Kaoru's hair. "Not very wise. Your uncle is many things, but a poor hunter isn't one of them," she agreed. Something about the way the kitsune said the word _hunter_ chilled Kaoru. Unbidden, her thoughts flew to the riverbank, her uncle snarling at the beautiful creature that was both his son's savior and prison warden.

A hand chucked her under the chin. "Out with it, tanuki. Something's bothering you, I can tell," said Megumi. Her tone was light, but by the way the kitsune's eyes were searching hers, Kaoru wouldn't have been surprised if she could deduce the truth on her own. The teenager decided to give Megumi the truncated version of their journey: that she had woke up during the night and found Oibore talking with a kitsune he called Tamamo no Mae; that, no, she didn't understand everything they were saying; that the queen had left in a rage. A mix of half-truths and omissions, but Kaoru thought it was a passable description. And besides, her uncle's secrets were his own. She wouldn't reveal them.

They were interrupted by a maid bearing a dinner tray for Kaoru. Megumi closed the door behind the woman's retreating back. The kitsune had said very little during the story, only occasionally asking for some clarifications. ("An orange glow, you said? It wasn't just a trick of the light?") Now she stood in front of the door, pursing her deep red lips.

"Interesting," the kitsune murmured. "Yukishiro Oibore is infamous among kitsunes, so I'm not surprised he'd attract the attention of Tamamo-ue." Kaoru, halfway through her soup, was so startled by the honorific she nearly poured it down the front of her shirt. Megumi never addressed anyone by honorifics when she could get away with it. It was her own way of rebelling against her enslavement, the teen had figured. Megumi either didn't notice Kaoru's start or chose to ignore it. "I'm more shocked that Tamamo-ue confronted him, directly, and away from her palace," she continued.

"Why?"

"Because the power of a kitsune is partially tied to their domain; the closer one lies at the heart, the more strength one can draw from it. And Yukishiro Oibore is a fearsome hunter, enough to give even Tamamo-ue pause. She shouldn't have chanced it," the dark-haired beauty explained. A frown marred her face.

"She seemed plenty impressive to me," Kaoru offered. Megumi lightly whapped her on the head before tugging the teenager's hair into a braid.

"That's because you've only seen us in these drab servants' clothes with these damnable chains. Set me free, and I could give Tamamo-ue a run for her money, ohohoho."

"Pffft, you don't have enough tails," the teenager countered. The tails in question swished in surprise before settling back on the ground.

"Very true," the kitsune murmured. "I forget how observant you can be, little tanuki." She finished braiding Kaoru's hair. There was still one question lingering on the teenager's mind.

"Megumi," she began, watching her kitsune step away with the dinner tray in her hands. "I know you've been in the palace for awhile, but do you remember a creature by the name of Okkoto?"

The dinner tray hit the ground with a clatter. Megumi was _trembling_. "H-how do you know that name? Nevermind; never let it pass your lips again!"

Kaoru blanched. She hurriedly explained that she heard Tamamo no Mae mention it. Her kitsune collected the fallen dishes and rearranged the shards on the tray.

"He is... what you'd call a boar god," Megumi said slowly. Her face had paled several shades, so much so that Kaoru feared her friend would collapse right there on the floor. "Over the years, he has developed a taste for the souls of spirits. He is a dauntless, indefatigable tracker. Once he's made you his target, you're never safe, no matter how far you run. He'll chase you till the end of your life. He doesn't usually bother with humans, though," she said, trying to reassure the horrified teenager crouched on the futon. "They're not to his taste."

"Oh, that's comforting," said Kaoru dryly. Megumi had recovered by this time and stood, balancing the broken dishes on the dinner tray.

"I don't know why his name would come up in conversation between Tamamo-ue and your uncle," she said, ignoring Kaoru's sarcasm, "and quite frankly, I don't wish to know. There are some things better left undisturbed. Especially if one wants to live a long, fulfilling life." With that, the kitsune strode out the room, tails swishing with agitation.

Kaoru stared at her departing back.

"_I know that it has driven you to unspeakable lengths, Yukishiro Oibore. What were you thinking, making a deal with Okkoto? He will sooner consume your soul than adhere to a bargain."  
_

"_He will adhere to this one. I have ensured it," her uncle replied. _

What had her uncle gotten himself into?

0o0o0o0o0

A half hour after Megumi had left her to her thoughts, Kaoru realized several things: one, that she was accomplishing nothing pacing in her room like a madwoman; and two, that she was in desperate need of a bath. The young girl quietly shuffled out of her chambers and craned her neck, scanning the hallway for any irate noblewomen. The kitsune's warning about Ouka was still fresh in her mind. Okay, this is doable, she told herself. Just move fast and step lightly.

Her left foot hovered over the nightingale floors. She let it drop. _Chiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrppp -_

"_There_ you are, you ungrateful little brat!"

Damn. Ouka was moving down the hallway like a wildfire. Kaoru wondered if she should just cut her losses and run.

"Oh no you don't, Kamiya! You stay right there, or I swear, I will burn those awful rags you call clothes," said Ouka, rearing up to her full 4'10" in height. She was a short, squat little toad, with too much make-up and more than a couple of chins. Someone told Kaoru that Ouka was a beauty once. If it wasn't for the existence of lovely, impeccable Tomoe, she would've called them a liar. As it was, it still boggled her mind to think the two of them related, never mind mother and daughter.

The matronly woman shuffled over in her geta. "You are a _disgrace_," she hissed. "How dare you leave without your chaperone after I expressly assigned you one? Do you realize what shame you have brought upon your household? Of course, I shouldn't have been surprised, you being the shameless hoyden that you are." Ahh, it wasn't a lecture by Ouka unless she slipped in the word "hoyden" somewhere. It was sad that she was so predictable.

Kaoru squared her shoulders and lifted her chin slightly. "The maid was late, and the prince demanded we be on our way. What was I to do about it?"

"Lies, damnable lies!" Ouka shook with anger. "I do my best with what I have to work with, but I am not a miracle worker. What kind of respectable man will consider you for marriage now? I will have to spend _years_ repairing the damage."

"If that's all it takes for a man to hold off against marrying me, then I wouldn't want him anyway! And what does it matter to you?" The teen asked. "You despise me; you've made that plain since day one. You have no obligation to me save to suffer my presence a few weeks out of the year so I can see Tomoe-chan."

"Foolish, obstinate child," said Ouka. "Why on earth do you think your vagabond uncle brought you here in the first place? Your mother may have been a cheap tart, but your father was a Yukishiro. No one wants to see someone of our house, ungrateful bastard though they may be, marry beneath her station. It would disgrace us all."

The young girl gritted her teeth. "My uncle brought me here so I could meet my sister-!"

"If you think that was his only motivation, then you are truly blind. Yukishiro women have always served as wives to princes and nobility. Even a half-blood like yourself is a tempting prize for any nobleman. But _only _if you don't irreparably stain your reputation," she sniffed.

Kaoru was about to tell her that she'd gladly tarnish her reputation if it meant avoiding a husband of Ouka's choosing, but the woman cut her off. "I hope you enjoyed your trip, Kamiya, for it'll be the last taste of freedom you'll have for awhile. Oh yes," she drew herself up and held up three squat fingers on her hand, "for the rest of the summer, you will not be allowed to join us for formal dinners; you will not be allowed to participate in any palace festivities; and you are _banned _from training at that despicable dojo!"

Now she was going too far-! "You will do no such thing!" Kaoru shouted. "I am the assistant master of Maekawa dojo. I need to keep up with my training!"

"Shut up, you dirty little brat!" Ouka growled. "While you are here in the palace, you are under my authority. If you persist in your hoyden ways, I will make your life miserable. I will have it so that one of my maids will be under orders to follow you constantly. You will not be able to so much as _breathe _without my permission."

Kaoru snarled, but she held herself back from pummeling the toad-like woman into bits. She was right; if Ouka wanted, she could make the teen's life at Ninomaru a waking hell. She wouldn't even have to try very hard to do it. The young girl wondered bitterly if she should just persist in annoying Ouka anyway, since she couldn't imagine a worse fate than the one already doled out. Being banned from the dojo for a few weeks was going to driver her mad, she just knew it.

"Have I made myself clear? Good." Her lips curled up in a pleased little smile. It reminded Kaoru of curdled milk. "I'm glad we've reached an understanding. I will see you in the morning for our etiquette lessons. Your manners leave much to be desired." Ouka began to walk away. "Oh, and Kamiya?" The toad looked back over her shoulder. "For all our sakes, get yourself to the bathhouse. I could detect your stench from all the way down the hall." With that, she waddled away, impervious to the fiercesome death glare Kaoru sent her way. The teenager swallowed a scream.

0o0o0o0o

Tomoe found her in their chambers later. Kaoru was back in her hakama and gi and was practicing some basic katas – whatever the small confines of her room would allow. She moved with a ferocity that belied her small frame. Imagining her opponents had Ouka's face helped. Her sister waited until she finished a complicated sequence of katas before tapping the shoji lightly.

Kaoru whirled. "Nee-chan!" She dropped her bokken and moved over to give her sister a hug, but paused. "Ugh, wait, I'm all sweaty. How have you been?"

With her gossamer blue kimono and dark hair pinned with elaborate combs, Tomoe was elegance incarnate. She looked as if she just walked out of one of the many screen paintings that decorated the halls of Ninomaru. "I should be asking you that, Kaoru-chan," she teased softly, resting her pale hands on the smaller girl's shoulders. Tomoe always did everything softly. The eighteen-year-old was calmness and kindness wrapped in one. Compared to her mother and her half-sister, she was a regular _bodhisattva._ Kaoru admired the older girl's even-temper and grace and tried her best to emulate her. She didn't need anyone else to tell her it was a lost cause. "How was your trip to Mt. Arashiyama? I heard from Akira-kun that you nearly drowned him in a river?" Inky black eyes crinkled with mirth. Tomoe may have seemed cool and calm to others, but Kaoru knew her sister possessed a wicked sense of humor. The dead-pan delivery helped.

The swordswoman shrugged lightly. "He started it."

"That, I don't doubt. You two bicker as if you were brother and sister," Tomoe observed. She gathered her kimono and kneeled gently on the floor. After a moment, Kaoru settled herself across from her.

"It was good," Kaoru said, echoing what she had told Megumi earlier. "Uncle told me that we probably wouldn't see any kitsune since we were such a large traveling party. _But _he said to keep that secret from the others. Wanted to see them quaking in his boots, he did."

Her sister's lips curled into a small smile. "That sounds like Uncle."

"You don't know the half of it. The first night, he pulls out this ugly little fruit and had us all convinced it was deathly poisonous. What did he say? Oh, that, 'One seed can bring down a horse,'" the younger girl stroked a mock beard and mimicked Oibore's reedy voice.

"Was it?"

"Of course not, but we all believed him. Then he goes and crams half the stupid thing in his mouth. I thought he was gonna keel over and die right then and there," Kaoru sniffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Kenshin had to hold me back from throttling him."

Tomoe raised a brow. "Kenshin?"

"New guardsman," the blue-eyed girl explained. "He was assigned to protect Shinsaku-sama during the trip. He's really nice; I think you'd like him a lot. But we were traveling in the middle of the woods, so he really didn't have much to do in the way of guarding. And Shinsaku-sama wasn't happy about having a guard. I think he saw it as a sign that the regent didn't think he was strong enough to defend himself," she concluded with a sigh.

"I see," her sister said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I'm glad you made a friend. You'll have to point him out to me later."

Tomoe made no mention about Shinsaku, Kaoru noted. Maybe she wasn't surprised. The younger girl scoffed. "Trust me, you can't miss him. He's just about your height and has hair like a firecracker. I'm serious!" she said when she spotted her sister's doubtful look. "It's almost unfair how pretty it is. I bet he's the envy of all the court women."

They chatted for a little while longer before a maid arrived to summon Tomoe for a meeting with the regent and the prince. Rising to her feet, the older girl gave Kaoru an apologetic glance. "I would say that we ought to continue our conversation over breakfast, but my mother tells me she has lessons planned for you first thing in the morning." One elegant eyebrow rose at her sister's growls. "I know there's no love lost between the two of you, but she is right, in a way. You owe it to yourself to learn some of the intricacies of court etiquette."

"What, so she can marry me off to some fat old idiot? Thanks, but no thanks. Can you believe she thinks Uncle brought me here just so I can be bartered off to some noble?"

"Everyone thinks that," Tomoe said bluntly. At her younger sister's sputtering, she raised a hand. "It's not the only reason, of course. Uncle loves you, you know that. He just wants to see you happy."

"By marrying me off to the highest bidder? Pah," Kaoru spat, slapping her knee. "I'd be far happier staying in Hinohara and minding the dojo. Besides, what noble in their right mind would settle for a half-blood hoyden? He either has no sense or questionable taste, neither of which is a great characteristic in a husband."

"So stubborn. I wonder if you get that from your mother or our father," the older girl murmured fondly. She listed off Kaoru's marriageable attributes. "You are of Yukishiro blood, which is one of the oldest noble lines in the region, second only to the royal family itself. Your uncle is a well-respected man as well as one of the wealthiest in the country. It goes without saying that you will have a sizable dowry. Furthermore," Tomoe paused, looking at her sister with a soft smile, "You are a beautiful young woman, Kaoru-chan. Plenty of men with sense will see you as a fine prospect for a wife."

For some reason, this made Kaoru even more despondent. "They won't see me for _me_, nee-chan," she tried to explain, training her eyes on the floor. "I don't want a husband who'll look my way and just see a pedigree and a pretty face. I want someone who'll love me for who I am."

There was a moment's silence. Then, Kaoru found herself enveloped in an embrace of silks and soft plum perfume. "Oh, Kaoru-chan, we _all _want that. At least, the ones of us with sense do." Tomoe drew away to meet her sister's gaze. "If it was in my power, I would have you marry for love. Nothing less." Inky black eyes glimmered with determination. "What I can do, at least, is ensure that you will not be trapped in an unhappy marriage. So long as I am your sister, you will have nothing to fear on that account."

Despite herself, Kaoru felt a smirk creeping on her lips. "And this is when you reveal that you're actually adopted and we're not related by blood at all." She winced as Tomoe gently bopped her on the head.

"Even if we were to discover one day that you're actually part-tanuki, I would still consider you my sister," her sister teased. "Now, I really must get going. Try not to give my mother a hard time tomorrow, please? Try for me, at least." With a gentle swish of fabric, Tomoe departed.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Hey y'all! Sorry this is a little late; I had a fair amount of projects and exams these past few weeks and only had snatches of time to chip away at this. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I will try to get the next installment in by the 25th.

0o0o0o0o0o

Chapter 8

The next few days were miserable for Kaoru. Ouka would drag her out of bed well before breakfast and had her practice tea ceremonies until her arms ached. Escape only came when Kaoru performed to Ouka's exacting standards – or until the sound of her stomach rumbling was too much for even Lady Yukishiro to ignore. Then it was off for a quick breakfast with Megumi, as usually most of the other palace inhabitants had already taken their morning meals. After that, the torture would begin anew with calligraphy, shamisen-practice, and flower-arranging. Curse the noblewoman that thought flower-arranging was a fun idea, Kaoru grumbled, stuffing a twig into a flower pot. All of it was dreadfully boring.

Company was few and far between. She was banned from practicing at the dojo and so had a hard time meeting up with any of her friends in the guard. Her uncle Oibore had left; he planned to make one last trek up to the north before autumn settled in and the nights became colder. When he came to the Third Chamber to bid his nieces goodbye, Kaoru clung to her uncle a little longer than normal. She wasn't a religious sort, but she sent a quick prayer all the same that her uncle would be safe in the days and weeks to come, and that this Okkoto creature wouldn't draw near.

Her sister was so busy that she may have well been on the road herself. Apparently the regent had invited several noble families to Ninomaru and, as the prince's betrothed, Tomoe was required to put in an appearance at all the formal dinners and entertain the guests when need be. Akira, being the son of the regent, was similarly occupied. And because there were so many formal dinners, the potential for some duplicitous noble slipping poison into the prince's food was high, so even Hira had no time for her.

Prince Shinsaku, it seemed, was taking the temporary chaos in stride. He left the diplomatic heavy-lifting to the regent and his cousin and could usually be found entertaining the guests. The prince could be an excellent host when he put his mind to it. He had an easy grace about him, a warm laugh, and a preternatural knack for navigating conversations with even the most air-headed ladies and boorish lords. It helped that he was also a fine shamisen player; in the evenings, just as Kaoru would be rolling out her futon, she'd catch snatches of refined conversations and bubbly laughter drifting down the hall and, sounding clear above it all, the crisp notes of a shamisen.

Occasionally, when he had some spare time, Shinsaku would drop in on Kaoru's shamisen lessons and help the beleaguered girl. "No, Kaoru-chan, the first and third strings need to be tuned an octave apart," the prince admonished one afternoon, kneeling across from her. They decided to practice out on the engawa. ("No use trying to focus when you're cooped up in your chambers," Shinsaku had said. "You'll be better off with a change of scenery.")

Kaoru glared at the instrument in her lap and huffed. "I thought it was." Her ears burned beet red at the prince's laugh.

"The way you've got it now, you have it a B-sharp when it should be a D." Instead of taking the instrument from her, Shinsaku wrapped his hands around hers and slowly rotated the tuning pegs. "You need to train your ear to detect the difference," the prince murmured. Kaoru let him manipulate her hands and prayed that he couldn't hear how her pulse quickened. She chided her silly heart – wasn't it over this infatuation yet? Didn't the trip to Mt. Arashiyama teach it anything? Apparently not.

For his part, Shinsaku seemed perfectly unaware of what effect he was having on her. He let go of one of her hands and drew the bachi against the strings once, twice. Kaoru tried to ignore how the little furrow between his eyebrows made him look so exquisitely focused, the very picture of an artist deep in concentration. She gave her brain a mental whap. Enough of that, she told herself. You sound like one of those pathetic ladies in that romantic trash Ouka reads.

After an eternity (actually a few minutes), the prince released her other hand. "There, that should do it," he said. He handed her the tortoiseshell bachi and leaned back. "Try it now." Kaoru strummed the strings with the bachi and marveled at the crystal clear sound that rang out. She spotted Shinsaku's pleased smile and bit back a sigh.

0o0o0o0o0o

Eventually, there came an afternoon in which Ouka had to cancel lessons. Apparently, Lady Yukishiro had been summoned to a meeting with the regent. Kaoru was ecstatic. She quickly dragged on her gi and hakama and scampered to the guardsmen's dojo. She might be banned from practice, but she could at least watch the other warriors spar and maybe learn from their example.

There were about a dozen people practicing in the sparring field. Most were men of average talent: good enough to deter a few bandits but not so skilled that they'd survive a fight against her. At least, not without a good amount of bruises, she thought. Sharp blue eyes scanned the field for any familiar faces.

A flash of red caught her eye. At the edge of the field, Kenshin faced one of the more war-hardened guardsmen – a tallish, muscular man whose face and arms were crisscrossed in scars. Next to such a brute, Kenshin looked terribly short and slight. But despite this he seemed perfectly at ease; even from a distance, Kaoru could see how his hand rested calmly on the hilt of his sword. She moved closer to get a better look. She knew Kenshin was a sure-shot with a crossbow, but how good was he in a fight?

Apparently, very. In just a few quick moves, Kenshin had disarmed his opponent, jabbed him in the throat with a well-placed hilt, and sent him flying across the sparring ring. Kaoru winced. Okay, very, very good, she amended. She would have to ask him for a spar when her suspension was up.

The red-head sheathed his blade and helped his opponent to his feet. He murmured something - Kaoru was too far away to hear - but the larger man weakly shook his head and coughed into his fist, then staggered off the field in the direction of Dr. Gensai's clinic. Kenshin kept his eyes trained on him – probably watching to make sure the other man made it into the clinic in one piece. Kaoru mentally applauded his thoughtfulness. Then she blinked when the red-head turned and started walking over in her direction.

"I thought I saw you, that I did," Kenshin said with a warm smile. "The other guardsmen told me you usually train here, but no one's seen you for nearly two weeks."

"Ouka's banned me from the dojo," she explained. "She had a hissy fit 'cause I left Ninomaru without a female chaperone."

Kenshin's mouth twisted into a sympathetic grimace. "How long?"

"'Till the end of summer." The red-head let out a long whistle. Kaoru laughed. "I know, I know. It's awful. I'm going to be in such rotten shape by the time I return to Hinohara. I can already hear Maekawa-sensei yelling at me."

They chatted easily for awhile, Kaoru complimenting his fighting skills and Kenshin neatly waving them off. But the blue-eyed girl noticed that he was holding himself oddly with one shoulder raised slightly higher than the other. "Alright, what's up with your arm?" The teenager finally asked.

The guardsman raised a hand to his left bicep. "Sparring wound. The captain wanted to see how I'd fare in a five-on-one battle, and one of the men had a throwing knife, that he did. It's not so bad!" He stammered, quailing under her glare. "I just haven't been resting it as I should."

"Dummy," she said. "You're just asking for trouble by not letting that heal." Kaoru pivoted and strode towards the palace. "I had Megumi whip up a salve for sword wounds. Wait here, I'll be right back."

"Oro, that's not necessary, Kaoru-do-" He snapped his jaw shut at her look. "I will wait right here, that I will."

"Good," Kaoru said sweetly. The teenager hurried to her chambers, taking the servants' passages as a short-cut. Megumi had shown her these passages during her first summer at Ninomaru. They were wonderfully convenient, especially if one wanted to avoid being spotted by the nobles. None of them ever deigned to use the passages even though they were in plain sight. Well, Akira did sometimes, but only when they played hide-and-seek. Kaoru slid past the shoji screen that led from the servants' passages to the hallway just outside the Third Chamber and stole into her room as quickly and quietly as she could. After a moment, she spotted the stout brown jar and tucked it in her pocket.

The blue-eyed girl returned to the sparring ring as quickly as she could. But she was surprised to see Kenshin had company.

"Oy, Kaoru-chan!" Akira waved. "Long time no see, eh?"

"Akira-kun!" Kaoru launched herself at the laughing dark-haired youth. "Where have you been, you jerk? Probably hobnobbing with the other noble brats, no doubt." She punched him gently in the shoulder. Despite his teasing, Akira really was one of her favorite people at the palace. He could lift her mood as well as Tomoe could and would always indulge Kaoru in a quick game or chat when he wasn't too busy with court duties. She had felt his absence keenly these past two weeks. But - "You probably have loads to do for the regent, right?" Kaoru said, her face falling. "You should head back, before he gets mad."

He patted her shoulder. "Not today. Ouka's got my father locked away in some terribly important meeting, so I've a spot of freedom." Akira gestured to the guardsman. "Besides, this fellow owes me some sword lessons."

Kenshin, who had up to this point been quietly observing the pair, smiled faintly. "We tried the crossbow, that we did. But, ahh, it seems that," there was a teasing glint in his eyes, "Akira-sama is not exactly -"

"Just say it, I'm awful." Akira sighed. "Nearly shot one of the nobles in the leg." At Kaoru's gasp, he amended, "_Nearly!_ I said nearly! Which means I didn't! Jeez, you're acting like I've killed one of these pompous bastards."

"Akira-kun, technically, you _are_ one of those pompous bastards," Kaoru said.

He sniffed. "Hardly. Anyway, once we figured out I was hopeless with a crossbow, Kenshin offered to teach me a few sword techniques. At least now I can assuage my wounded pride."

"Well, sword lessons will have to wait," the girl cut in, retrieving the jar of salve from her pocket. "Kenshin's wounded. He shouldn't be giving lessons nor sparring, not till his arm heals up some," she chided.

The guardsman ducked his head. An embarrassed flush colored his cheeks. "My apologies, Kaoru-dono."

"Nonsense," she snorted as she unscrewed the jar. "You should be apologizing to your left arm, not me. Now, out of that gi."

"Oro, Kaoru-dono," the red-head sputtered, face flushing even redder. "That's not necessary, that it is! I can apply it myse-" He eeped as Kaoru snatched at the fabric and tugged it down his arm.

"First time I've ever seen Himura show fear," Akira laughed at hapless guardsman. Kaoru ignored them both. She had trained with boys all her life and had already seen Kenshin shirtless down by the Oi river, so she couldn't see what all the fuss was about. A chest was a chest. Kenshin's chest, in particular, was lightly tanned and speckled with old scars. More well-defined than Akira's, to be sure, but nothing to swoon over. Blue eyes turned to his left arm and she bit back a swore. The cut was a bit more than the knife nick she had been anticipating. Blood pooled around the torn, inflamed skin.

"Dummy," she repeated, gently inspecting the wound. "You should have gone to Gensei-sensei earlier." Kaoru straightened and swiped a bit of the salve from the jar. The cream was a deep, dark green and smelled like summer nights. "Megumi made this for me a while back. It's got kitsune magic in it. Best thing for cuts from a blade, but it stings something fierce," she warned, hand hovering over the cut. "Just for a little while, though."

Kenshin gave a short nod. He tensed as she smeared the salve on his bicep. "Sorry, sorry," she said. "It's not pleasant, I know. The sting will wear off soon, though, I promise." The guardsman drew in a short breath through his nose and nodded. Kaoru gave him credit: the first time she had this salve used on her, she had clawed at the wound on her leg and screamed herself hoarse. Then again, that had been a particularly potent batch, prepared by an apprentice rather than Megumi. He had either mixed up the proportions of herbs or had one of the palace kitsunes give the wrong blessing, Kaoru wasn't sure. As soon as Megumi had heard what happened, though, the kitsune had marched down to Dr. Gensai's office and banned any "witless, idiotic, incompetent" humans from touching her medicines. As a slave to the palace, that action should have earned her a whipping or at least a stern reprimand. However, Dr. Gensai had known Megumi for more than thirty years and had deep respect for the kitsune's medicinal talents. The apprentice was fired that same day.

Aside from a slight grimace, though, Kenshin seemed fine. After a half-minute, his shoulders slumped forward in relief. He stared at the newly-healed wound. There was only a faint pink line to mark where the cut had been.

Akira whistled low. "Woah. I've never seen a salve do that. How comes Gensei-sensei doesn't keep that in stock?"

Kaoru screwed the lid back on the jar. "He does, he just uses it very sparingly. It takes awhile to prepare and the components are hard to come by. Plus it hurts like hell. How do you feel?" she asked the guardsman.

Kenshin flexed his arm. "It's as good as new, that it is," he said with a note of awe in his voice. Grinning, the girl patted his shoulder.

Akira took the jar from her other hand and inspected the label. "Hmm. I'll have to ask Megumi what she uses for this. I'm guessing it burns out the infection, then follows it up with... I don't know, something to knit the skin back together. I'm guessing that's the magic bit." He handed the jar to the guardsman. "Oy, Kenshin, time to see how good of a teacher I am. Try reading this label."

As Kenshin squinted at the faded lettering and slowly pronounced the words, Kaoru smiled at the picture her friends made. It was nice to see these two getting along, she thought, rocking back on her heels.

0o0o0o0o

Eventually, the visiting nobles left Ninomaru in a colorful procession of carriages and silks. This meant several things, the most important being that Tomoe was finally free to spend time with her. Kaoru was thrilled. Tomoe took over some of the etiquette lessons from Ouka and was a far more patient and effective teacher than her mother. Her sister was also a fan of mid-morning breaks, which meant conversations and games with Akira in the gardens.

It was during one such mid-morning break that Kaoru first heard of the upcoming trip to Ishiyama Hongan-jii. The warrior monk fortress was located at the foot of the Yodo River, only a half day's journey from Ninomaru. The monks there were fierce fighters and old allies; the short distance between compounds enabled the swift flow of goods, and so the two were longstanding trading partners.

Recently, though, there had been whispers of a shift in loyalties. Rumor was that the monks were in talks with other noble families, seeking new clients for their crafts and produce. The regent of Ninomaru wanted to send a diplomatic entourage to Ishiyama Hongan-jii post-haste to put these rumors to bed. At least, that's how Akira put it.

"Wait, wouldn't that just confirm to the other nobles that something's wrong?" Kaoru asked, limbs akimbo and fists clutching tuft-fulls of dry, summer grass.

Akira was sprawled out on the grass alongside her and breathing hard – he had just challenged Kaoru to a race and lost, badly – and waving his hands, trying to draw the different diplomatic relationships in the air. "The regent says he's scheduled the trip to show the other provinces that everything's just peachy. In reality, he wants Tomoe-chan and I to go and try to win over the monks," Akira said, walking his fingers in the air. "My father cannot afford to lose Ishiyama Hongan-jii as a trading partner. We depend too much on their produce and sake. Plus, they give us heavily discounted rates. Were we to look elsewhere for our goods, we'd be paying a pretty sen," he explained.

Tomoe chimed in. "We leave within the week."

"So soon?!" her sister cried.

"Yes," Tomoe nodded. The older girl knelt alongside Akira and smoothed out the folds in her deep purple kimono. "The regent is insistent. He's known Yūkyūzan-sama, the head monk, for years. He'd like to ascertain the status of Ninomaru's relationship with Ishiyama Hongan-jii and, if need be, repair it as soon as possible."

"My father can't leave the compound directly," Akira explained. "It's tax season, so he's constantly in meetings with the local administrators. He cannot afford to leave right now. So, he's sending the next best thing!" Concluded the youth, gesturing to himself with a proud grin.

Kaoru's eyebrows drew down. "I don't understand."

"Hey, you don't have to be so harsh, y'know," Akira said, deflating a bit.

"No, silly. I mean I don't understand why Yūkyūzan-sama would do this," the blue-eyed girl explained. She squinted against the warm summer light. "We've been clients of Ishiyama Hongan-jii for ages, right? Why on earth would they toss away such an old trading partnership? They're way too pragmatic for that. It makes no sense."

It was so slight that she almost missed it, but Kaoru caught the split-second look her sister and her friend shared. "You know something. Spill."

Tomoe spoke first. "There's nothing to tell, really," she demurred. "Your guess is as good as ours, Kaoru-chan."

"Nee-chan, you might be able to lie to me with a straight face," said the younger girl, "but Akira-kun looks guilty as hell." She ignored the boy's sputtering and searched her sister's dark, inky eyes. "Please, Nee-chan, what's going on? What's the reason for this trip?"

Silence. Tomoe ran one delicate nail down a blade of grass, splitting it in two. She looked perfectly calm as she shredded the grass.

"It's..." her sister began, then paused, as if mulling over the words in her mouth, "it's a bit of a long story, Kaoru-chan. What's important is that Yūkyūzan-sama reconsider his decision."

The teenager blew out an aggravated breath. She'd had a better chance of squeezing blood out of a stone than teasing an explanation out of her sister. _This_ was precisely why she disliked court life. Too many secrets and far too much drama.

Surprisingly, it was Akira who spoke next. "Yūkyūzan-sama is..." he trailed off. "A very principled fellow," he finally decided, nodding as if pleased with his own choice of words.

"Okay, but how does that apply to us?" Kaoru prodded. When he didn't answer immediately, the girl elbowed him in the side. "C'mon, Ninomaru hasn't done anything terrible to the monks. Unless I missed something?"

Akira sat up and sighed, drawing a hand over his face. It drew attention to the heavy dark circles under his eyes. When had he grown so _tired?_ she wondered. Perhaps all those visitors and meetings took more out of her friend than she had realized. "I'm sorry, Tomoe-chan," he said, craning his neck to look at the dark haired beauty. "But your sister would've found out sooner or later. Better it comes from the folks who can give her an honest rendition," he said. After a very long moment that had Kaoru nearly fidgeting with impatience, Tomoe nodded, once.

The dark-haired youth turned to Kaoru and continued. "No clear explanation from Ishiyama Hongan-jii was given; however, some believe that Yūkyūzan-sama is not entirely enamored with the prospect of Shinsaku as King of Ninomaru, and had asked his administration to loosen ties with the palace."

Kaoru felt her jaw drop. She hadn't been expecting _that_. "Wait, what? Why?" she gasped.

Her friend shrugged. "Like I said, Yūkyūzan-sama is a very principled fellow. He doesn't shy away from cutting ties with individuals and families who present questionable morals. And to hear the rumors tell it, he's not impressed with my cousin's character. It might be 'cause Shinsaku's such a temperamental fool. Your uncle's words, not mine," Akira said apologetically to Tomoe. If Oibore's opinion of her fiance had any impact on her, Tomoe didn't show it. Save for how she was shredding up a small field of grass around her.

"They may not be fans of Shinsaku," Akira continued, gesturing to illustrate his point, "but they understand that a king is not an island: he is influenced by his advisers and his court. The hope is that if Shinsaku's unable to change their opinion of him during this trip, your sister and I will at least be able to reassure them that Ninomaru will be in good hands upon Shinsaku's coronation."

"Wait, sorry, I'm still confused. Why don't the monks like Shinsaku-sama?" Kaoru inquired. "What?" the teenager protested when he sighed. "It's an honest question. He's been raised to be king since birth. If anyone's qualified to run the palace, it's Shinsaku-sama." It was true; Shinsaku was as well-versed in history and politics as any of the noble children. As an administrator, the prince was far from incompetent. And this was in no way her infatuation speaking. No, not at all.

"Yes, on paper, my cousin does look like a fine candidate to run Ninomaru," agreed Akira. "He's bright and can certainly be charming. However..."

"_Yes?_" Honestly, it was like pulling teeth from these two.

Akira shot her sister a quick glance before proceeding. "During the spring, there may or may not have been words exchanged between my cousin and one of the lower ranking monks. A friendly duel was conducted and my cousin won. But... Shinsaku decided to take matters further. He slashed the monk's face, after the man had already conceded defeat."

The world tilted just a bit then. "No," Kaoru said firmly. No way would Shinsaku do something like that. He may have had a temper, but the prince wasn't – he wasn't violent, Kaoru told herself. Her mind flew to soft summer afternoons on the engawa with the shamisen. "No," the blue-eyed girl repeated. "Why would Shinsaku-sama do that? He wouldn't do that. It's a violation of dueling protocol. Nee-chan?" Tomoe met her gaze and gave nothing away. If their uncle Oibore hid from the world with humor, her sister erected a veritable fortress of tranquility. There were no cracks in her armor.

"I'm afraid it's true, Kaoru-chan." If Akira noticed her distress, he didn't verbalize it. The youth drew a hand along his face. "The monk had stitches going from temple to chin." He let his hand fall to his lap. "It was within the prince's right, technically, given the gulf in rank. But it was unnecessary; no one could question who the victor of the duel was. Yūkyūzan-sama was not pleased, as you can probably imagine," he concluded with a bitter twist to his mouth. "So now we're on damage-control duty."

There was something more to the story. Kaoru could see the faint edges of a truth, but her horror at the prince's conduct obfuscated the image. Questionable morals indeed! What sort of man would injure an already beaten opponent? Scar him in such a way that every morning the man would wake up and be reminded of his failure? She couldn't imagine Maekawa-sensei back home in Hinohara conducting his duels in a similar manner. It simply wasn't in his nature. Unbidden, her mind flew to her shamisen-lessons with the prince. The soft afternoon light of her memories took on a sickly sweet, piercing quality, and the prince's hands were no longer warm and comforting but harsh. And sharp.

The other two waited politely for her to sort herself out. Apparently, they were no longer bothered by such an old story – or perhaps they were, and they simply hid it well. Kaoru could not tell.

"I don't care if it was technically within his right, Shinsaku-sama shouldn't have done that. What a needless, cruel thing to do," she stated adamantly. Both Akira and her sister considered her carefully but offered no soothing words. Kaoru drew her knees up and, wrapping her arms around her lugs, tucked her chin in.

"I suppose I can understand why the regent wants you two to leave as soon as possible, then," the younger girl said with a heavy sigh. "This is not something that can be covered with a simple apology to Yūkyūzan-sama." Her companions nodded softly. Kaoru twisted her hands into the folds of her hakama. "I hate admitting this, because it makes me sound silly, but I hate that you have to leave to fix this," grumbled Kaoru. "I've hardly been able to spend time with either of you this summer. And now you'll be off again."

"What are you talking about, Kaoru-chan?" Tomoe said, reaching out a hand to ruffle her sister's bangs. "You'll be coming with us, of course."

"Not if your mother has anything to say about it," the dark-haired girl countered. "I'm still under house-arrest. Palace-arrest. Whatever."

"Not quite," said Akira. "Remember that meeting Ouka had with my father? They were discussing a variety of things, but the question of whether or not to bring you along to Ishiyama Hongan-jii came up. The regent firmly believes you will be an asset in our mission," the youth said, shooting Kaoru a sly wink. "He's hoping your brash warrior self will charm Yūkyūzan-sama or one of the other higher-ranking monks." Kaoru socked him in his knee.

"The regent doesn't intend for a marriage alliance," Tomoe clarified, speaking over Akira's yowls. Her hands were playing with a long cherry-blossom hairpin that had tumbled out of Kaoru's hair during their run. "But a warrior woman is a rare creature, even among the monks. The regent is hoping you will impress Yūkyūzan-sama with your good humor and fighting skills. He is a man of stern judgment, but his fealty, once earned, is unwavering," she continued, tapping the hairpin against the tips of her fingers. "If we cannot persuade Yūkyūzan-sama to alter his assessment of the future king of Ninomaru, then perhaps we might be able convince him that the king's cousin, future wife, and her immediate family are worthy of an alliance."

"Which is precisely why Ouka's not coming along," Akira chirped. "Right, Tomo-_oww_," he cried, clutching his shoulder where Tomoe had thrown the hairpin. "Gods above, what is all this abuse? Tomoe-chan, you've been corrupted by your sister's violent ways."

"Nonsense," Kaoru declared. "Even a _bodhisattva_ would smack you after hearing what words tumble out of mouth. And you're supposed to be a diplomat. Pah," she snorted.

"Hey, I'm very polite when it comes to foreign dignitaries," whined Akira. "I'm only snarky with you guys."

"Joy," Tomoe murmured as she straightened and brushed some grass off her kimono, but her dark eyes sparkled with mirth. Kaoru could see how the tension melted off her frame at the change in topic. At the older girl's insistence, the other two stood as well and together they drifted back to the palace. Akira bade them goodbye and went off in search of the regent.

As Tomoe resumed their lessons, Kaoru found her mind drifting back to their conversation and her sister's hands. Along with their coloring and deep, dark hair, Kaoru and Tomoe shared a habit of fidgeting with their hands when something was troubling them. She wasn't sure if it was something they had learned from each other or had inherited from their father. From her earliest years at Ninomaru, Kaoru had learned to look past her sister's serene mask and check her hands to gauge her mood. During the conversation about the monks, they had played with her hairpin and tore at the grass. Now, during their lessons, they fluttered like birds: fingers drumming helplessly against the tatami mat or thumbing circles on her teacup. Whatever thoughts were roiling around in her sister's head were hers alone, though. She did not voice them.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Thank you, thank you, thank you for the kind words and reviews. Y'all know how to brighten a girl's week. ^-^ My life has been/ will be temporarily consumed by exams and applications so I will not be able to update for awhile, probably not until after Thanksgiving. :\ I've made this update twice as long to compensate for the anticipated delay. Hope y'all enjoy the chapter!

0o0o0o0o0

Chapter 9

The morning they were to leave for Ishiyama Hongan-jii was crisp and cold. In her chambers, Kaoru stamped her feet as she stuffed the last of her toiletries in her pack. Most of her things had already been bundled into the carriages by the servants; these were simply items she wanted to have on hand to stave off boredom. In went a history of Miyamoto Musashi's exploits; a few trashy romances she nicked from Ouka's collection; and a flip-book from Megumi that displayed a different picture every time it was opened. It was one of Kaoru's prized possessions. Sometimes it showed grand vistas and awe-inspiring natural sights; other times, it had drawings of different people she knew, such as the palace physician or the sweet old woman who lived down the road from Maekawa-sensei's dojo and made the best cherry cakes. Right now, it had a picture of a rooster. Weird. Kaoru shook her head and shoved the book in her pack.

Tomoe had risen well before her and was now politely sipping a cup of tea in the antechamber. Despite the early hour, the older girl was already dressed in full court regalia. "First impressions are key" was a mantra Tomoe lived by. It was probably another noble strategy: arrive as gorgeous and immaculate as possible and intimidate your hosts. Kaoru could never bother. Since Ouka wasn't coming along, the teenager broke out her training clothes and strapped her bokken on her back. The regent wanted to show off Ninomaru's resident swordswoman, right? She couldn't disappoint. Her eyes scanned the room for any last-minute belongings, then she slung her bag over her shoulder and dashed into the antechamber.

"Sorry, sorry!" she told her sister. Her knees slammed onto the tatami mat as her hands reached out for the teapot to pour herself a cup.

"Finally," Megumi's voice drifted from the wall. "At this rate, we might reach Ishiyama Hongan-jii by autumn." The kitsune emerged from behind a panel bearing a full tray of breakfast food. She must've taken the servants' passage straight from the kitchen, Kaoru thought as the kitsune knelt down and placed the tray on the table.

The blue-eyed girl crammed some tamagoyaki in her mouth. "Y'erh 'tha bes', Me'uyi."

"Tomoe-dono," said the fox, ignoring the fourteen-year-old pigging out on her left, "would you like some breakfast? You haven't eaten yet." Tomoe bowed her head and began nibbling at the bowl of umeboshi. Tomoe never had much of an appetite, but she was even more leery of food right before a trip. Dirt roads and wobbly transport tended to make the older Yukishiro daughter carriage-sick.

They finished breakfast quickly and made their way to the gates. Kaoru marveled at the chaos. Huge swarms of horses, carriages, and guards congregated by the exit. From what she could see, there were at least six carriages going to Ishiyama Hongan-jii: one for the prince and his cousin; another for their servants; a third for Tomoe, Megumi, and herself; and the rest to carry their belongings and gifts for their host. Honestly, it was all a bit much. Accompanying them was a full company of guardsmen. The sight of more than two hundred fully-armed (slightly cranky; she noted a few grumbles) warriors ought to be enough to discourage any highwaymen, she thought as she weaved through the crowd.

Scattered here and there were kitsunes: blessing the caravans, tending to the horses, packing the last of the supplies with the aid of levitation spells. It was remarkable how enured the men were to the kitsunes' flagrant use of magic. Most villagers would be backtracking in fear. A few of the guardsmen were less stoic than most, she noticed; they warily eyed the foxy tricksters and kept their weapons close. New hires, probably. She waved to a few guardsmen she recognized and hurried to follow Megumi and her sister.

Megumi had stopped by the caravan carrying hers and Tomoe's belongings and was busy upbraiding one of the men. "You there, Guard!" Her tails twitched in aggravation. "Watch how you handle those bags! The contents of that satchel are worth more than your yearly salary."

"I gotcha, Fox, no need to shout!" The guard bellowed back. He grunted, struggling to tie a makeshift knot with the packing cords. "Hell if I know why you gotta bring so much. Your crap weighs more than all the other stuff put together!"

Megumi stiffened, but before the kitsune could hurl another insult, Tomoe stepped in. "Apologies for the inconvenience," she drawled. Inky black eyes regarded the roughshod guard with barely-there disdain. "However, Megumi is my personal assistant and private physician, and will require access to her medicinal supplies while we visit Ishiyama Hongan-jii. I hope it is not too much trouble, guardsman." Translation: bitch at my kitsune again and consider yourself fired.

Apparently, the guard could catch her drift. "N-n-n-not at all, Yukishiro-dono. Please, my apologies," he stammered, waving his hands deferentially and curling his lean torso into a bow.

Tomoe inclined her head – he was forgiven, this time - and turned to climb into her own carriage. Megumi shot the guard a loathsome glare. "What riffraff has the captain picked up this time? We'll have to discuss his hiring practices when we return, Tomoe-dono," she sniffed.

Kaoru could see a little bit of panic edge into his eyes. The teenager sighed. Jeez, Megumi could lay it on thick when she was annoyed. She walked over to the guard and patted – well, she was aiming for his shoulder, but he was so tall compared to her that she settled for his elbow. "Hey, don't worry about it. Tomoe's just protective of Megumi. You're not gonna get fired, so long as you mind your manners around her."

He let out a huge breath. "Thanks. Oh hell, I had no idea that was Lady Yukishiro's kitsune." The guard wiped a bit of sweat off his brow and re-adjusted his headband, which was a striking shade of red.

"You're new, right?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. He was a wiry sort, all lean muscle with a unruly mop of brown hair. Definitely some sort of warrior, but he carried no weapons on him as far as she could tell. Perhaps he was a fist-fighter?

"Yeah. Sagara Sanosuke's the name," he explained. "Just up from Shinshu. Tiny little blot you wouldn't even find on a map." He shook his head and laughed. "My old man warned that I'd be outta my depth in this place, but damn. This primness and propriety is just way outta my comfort zone."

Shinshu, Shinshu... where had she heard that before? Before she could puzzle it out, Sagara had his hand out and was pointing at her bokken. "What're you, then? Some kind of trainer for the guards? Can't say I've seen your face before. I'd notice a little missy like you around the barracks."

Kaoru laughed. "I oughta be! I'd whip you lot into shape in no time." She fell into a neat bow. "My name is Kamiya Kaoru, and I'm the assistant master of the Maekawa dojo."

"Ohhh, you're _that _little missy!" She snapped her eyes up. "My pal was just telling me about you the other day," Sagara explained with a broad grin. "Pleased to finally make your acquaintance."

Kaoru straightened. "Ah, okay. Who's your friend? Is he coming along on this trip?"

"He better be, the regent's son asked him personally. Oy, Kenshin!" The man bellowed, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Over here!"

Kenshin! She shouldn't have been surprised; of course Akira would ask his new friend to join them on this trip. The red-head was about thirty feet off to the right tending to his horse. Kaoru could see how he scanned the mess of carriages, animals, and people trying to locate the source of the shout before his eyes settled on them. By the time he made his way through the crowd, a bemused smile was teasing around his lips. "Good morning, Kaoru-dono. I see you've met Sano."

Kaoru couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her. "Yep! You better warn your friend to watch his mouth, though. He almost got skinned by Megumi just now."

Kenshin rolled his eyes. "Can't leave you alone for a minute," he muttered.

"Hey, hey, it wasn't my fault. How was I supposed to know the kitsune packing bricks happened to belong to Lady Yukishiro? They should come with name tags or something," Sagara grumbled, folding his arms across his chest.

She cut into the argument. "Wait, wait, how do you two know each other?"

Sagara spoke up first. He leaned his elbow on Kenshin's shoulder and shot her a cheeky grin. "Me and Kenshin here go way back. We've been getting in and out of trouble together for years."

"_You _get into trouble, that you do," his friend said dryly. "I just help you get out of it."

They made such an odd pair: a short, red-headed swordsman and a gangly fist-fighter. Yet somehow they seemed perfectly suited to one another. Perhaps it was the easy way they bickered with one another. It reminded her of the way she fought with Akira.

"Pah, you hearing this?" Sagara dug his elbow into the red-head's shoulder. "Bullshit! I'll have you know I'm the only reason this guy's even in the royal guard!"

"You are the reason why this one was almost arrested in Shinshu, that you were," grumbled Kenshin. Long, shaggy bangs obscured his face, but by the lilt of his voice she could tell that he was holding back a grin. Ahh, that's why the name Shinshu was familiar; Akira had mentioned it, back when they were about to leave for Mt. Arashiyama. So Kenshin and this Sagara character came from the same village. But wait -

"Arrested?!" She squeaked.

The red-head sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's a long story, Kaoru-dono."

"Wait, I want to hear this!"

Sagara cocked his head towards the other carriages. "Judging by the fox's glare, we're holding you up," he said. Megumi was in fact craning her head out of the window and mouthing, 'Hurry up!' "But if you wanna know the short version," he went on, "it involved me and Kenshin here, the entire city guard, and a lot of chicken feathers."

Silence. Kaoru folded her arms and looked down at Kenshin. "You're serious?"

"Oro, that's not the entire story -" began the swordsman, but he broke off at Kaoru's peals of laughter.

"Oh man, I _have _to hear this later," she said, wiping away tears at the corner of her eyes. She could almost picture a doleful-looking red-head in a cloud of feathers. "Sagara, I gotta go, but once we get settled in at Ishiyama Hongan-jii, you have got to tell me the rest, eh?"

"H-hey-!"

"Will do, little missy," the fighter said with a lazy salute. Kaoru gave the boys a wave and quickly clambered into her sister's carriage.

0o0o0o0o

Despite the day's chilly beginning, the temperature quickly rose. By noon, the air was terribly thick and humid. Kaoru could feel trails of sweat collect on her back and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Outside, the procession of horses and carriages kicked up huge clouds of dust. It got so bad that she was forced to close the curtains despite the stultifying heat. Kaoru felt a pang of sympathy for the guards. It couldn't have been pleasant having to breath all that in, she thought.

Tomoe was faring even worse. The older Yukishiro daughter was bent double, resting her head in the palms of her hands and taking deep, slow breaths. The warm weather did nothing to help her carriage-sickness. To her side, Megumi was waving her hands in slow, easy loops, weaving an anti-nausea spell over her sister's head. The soft purple tendrils of the kitsune spell faded in and out of existence, like one of those auroras she saw once in her flip-book.

The thick, ungainly shackles wrapped around Megumi's wrists marred the effect. The kitsune never made much mention about them; after about thirty years of wearing them, she was used to working around the chains and probably paid them little heed. Or maybe they did vex her but she saw little point in complaining about it. Out of the corner of her eye, Kaoru inspected the shackles.

_"The only real way to gain control over a kitsune, though, is to steal their hoshi no tama. They are the very embodiment of a kitsune's soul."_

Kaoru squinted. In the muted light of the carriage, the metal binding Megumi's wrists seemed to shimmer green. Was it reflecting the magic Megumi was weaving? The spell was purple, though.

"_If I were to hold a hoshi no tama, I could insert it into the metal of these shackles, binding the unlucky kitsune's soul to the chains. The charms prevent the kitsune from accessing their magic and the proximity of the hoshi no tama keeps them alive."_

That is what her uncle had said at Mt. Arashiyama. Was the green shimmer a reflection of Megumi's soul, then? The teenager blinked and sat back. Just what was it like to have one's soul imprisoned? She wondered. Was it like losing a limb or more like one of your senses, such as taste or touch? Was there an empty, rattling feeling in your chest? Did the world lose some of its colour and vibrancy? Some part of her wanted to ask Megumi, out of curiosity more than anything else, but politeness held her back.

It was strange to consider that she hadn't made the connection between her uncle's words and the chains binding Megumi to Ninomaru until just then. It wasn't as if she forgot her friend was an enslaved magical creature; the knowledge had just kind of faded into the background. Like the pattern of freckles on Akira's face or the exact shade of Maekawa-sensei's eyes, it was a detail that Kaoru had long taken for granted and forgot to notice. Perhaps she -

Before she could continue that thought, the carriage lurched to a halt. Tomoe ducked her head and moaned softly – oh, that couldn't have helped her nauseousness, Kaoru worried – while Megumi sent a quizzical glance towards the window. There were some uneasy nickers from the horses and more than a few questions from the guards.

"What on earth?" said the kitsune, pulling back the curtain to peer out her window. "Why have we stopped?"

"I don't know," Kaoru murmured. Shouts range out and there were sounds of hoofs pounding the earth and steel clashing against steel.

"Bandits," Megumi spat. She ran a hand across Tomoe's forehead. For a moment, the purple tendrils of the spell brightened, and the older Yukishiro daughter sat up with a grateful sigh. "Who would be fool enough to attack our caravan?" The kitsune wondered aloud.

Kaoru peeked around her curtain. They were in a narrowish gorge, and judging by the shouts and the clouds of dust being kicked up, most of the melee was taking place up ahead by the prince's carriage. That was poor strategy, she thought to herself. If I was a bandit, I'd be taking advantage of my natural surroundings and attacking from above -

"Megumi, the windows!" She shrieked, tugging Tomoe to the floor. The kitsune snapped up a hand and a second later a steel-coloured spell braced the carriage. Not a moment too soon, too, for dozens of arrows suddenly hammered the walls and bounced off the curtains.

"Well done. Will that protect us against swords?" Kaoru asked as she tugged on a chest plate. And Akira thought she was being silly for keeping a set of armor under the seat!

The kitsune shook her head. "No, these shackles keep my reserves too low for that. If the bandits make it to the carriage, I won't be able to stop them."

Kaoru swore under her breath and strapped on a pair of arm guards. Peeking around the curtain, blue-eyes spied a few figures approaching the carriage. The teenager ducked down and drummed her fingers against the floor. Think, Kaoru! "That spell, can you use it on people? Protect them from missile attacks, I mean?" She asked the kitsune.

Megumi nodded. "I can, though not for long. Maybe ten minutes, tops."

From the floor, Tomoe watched her sister with ever-widening eyes. "Kaoru-chan, what are you planning?"

"I'll stall them," Kaoru said, coming to her feet. Ten minutes would have to be enough. Hopefully by then the guards would notice the battle behind them and come help. At least, that was the general hope. There was a little voice shrieking in her head that this was a really terrible idea, but she stamped down her panic as best she could. "Stay inside the carriage, nee-chan," she heard herself say in a surprisingly steady voice.

Kaoru leaned to one side and ever-so-slightly pulled back the curtain. One bandit was particularly close, maybe two yards off. He held a katana in his right hand. The swordswoman readied her bokken and waited as he moved closer, his left hand outstretched and reaching for the handle. "Hey," he called back to someone behind him, "think they're in this one?"

In one swift move, Kaoru pushed back the curtain and jabbed him in his eye. "Argh!" The bandit staggered back, dropping his katana and clutching his face, but before he do much else, Kaoru leapt out of the carriage and struck him forcefully across the head. Down for the count.

The teen kicked the carriage door closed and braced herself as a barrage of arrows pummeled her body. True to Megumi's word, the steel-spell kept them from making full impact, but she could fell the pressure of the arrow heads as they bounced off her frame. There were cries of dismay when she wasn't shredded apart.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"They've got a witch, man!"

Kaoru assumed a defensive position. Glancing up, she saw that a few of marksmen at the top of the gorge had given up on shooting her with arrows and were making their way down into the valley with swords. Joy. Thankfully, only five of them came down, and they seemed leery of confronting her directly. Probably unsure about what other magical tricks she might have up her sleeve.

She inhaled deeply and let out a slow breath. Just keep your back to the carriage, she told herself. And be patient. They won't be afraid for long. Soon enough, one of them rushed forward and struck out at her with his sword. He was taller than her, and heavier, too, pressing his full weight on the blade until Kaoru could feel her knees ache. She slipped to the side and let him overbalance, then struck out at the back of his neck. Down he went.

The next two hit the ground just as quick. The fourth was more cautious; he made swipes at her belly and legs and tried to maneuver her away from the carriage. Kaoru gritted her teeth and pushed back. Suddenly, he lunged, swinging his sword wildly at her head. On instinct, her hands rose and caught the blade by the backs of her wrist-guards; before the bandit realized what was happening, she seized her opening and struck. He collapsed to the ground with a groan.

Panting, Kaoru straightened and re-assumed her defensive position. How much time had it been? And where were the guards?! She registered the sounds of battle father up the road and her heart sank. At this rate, Megumi's spell was going to run out and she'd be skewered -

_Move! _Kaoru dove to her left. A throwing knife sailed over her shoulder and slammed into the carriage's door with a heavy _thwock. _She could hear Tomoe's gasp of fright. Kaoru, you idiot! She chided herself. You forgot the fifth bandit!

The man in question unsheathed both his katana and wakizashi and ran forward with an angry snarl. Kaoru dodged his strikes, but she could feel herself slowing down as the heat took its toll. Dust caked her tongue. She swallowed, and winced as the shorter blade caught her above the eyebrow. Goddamnit, she swore in her head as she backtracked, blinking blood out of her eye. This needs to end now!

Kaoru ducked a sword-swipe and struck out in an arc, sweeping his feet from under him. Before the bandit struck the ground, Kaoru reared back, seized the knife lodged in the carriage door, and drove it through his leg just above his knee. He let out a bloodcurdling scream. Well, she thought, watching the blood pool and feeling a little sick, if _that _doesn't catch the guards' attention, then we're doomed. The man continued to howl and weep before Kaoru struck him in the head and knocked him out. Heavens, she was such a softie, she grumbled.

"Tomoe, Megumi, you alright?" The teenager called. She wiped the blood off her forehead and scanned the area for more attackers. The marksmen on the top of the gorge were gone, which was worrisome. Had they cut their losses and ran? She doubted it. Panting with exhaustion, it took Kaoru some time to realize that there was no response from the carriage. She felt a lump of dread lodge in her stomach. "Guys?"

A whimper. Kaoru whirled around. The carriage door was slightly ajar from when she tugged out the knife. Megumi was huddled on the floor and staring up at her mistress with horror. There was a knife at Tomoe's throat, gripped by an impossibly long arm that slinked from the other window of the carriage. No, wait, the arm _was_ the knife. Kaoru flinched and took a step back. "Son of a bit-"

On top of the carriage was a strange, spider-like man, with spindly arms and legs. He grinned, all sharp teeth and malice. "Uh-uh, girlie, careful now. One wrong move and who knows what might happen? If you're not careful, my hand could slip..." he said, pressing his finger-blades closer to Tomoe's throat. A thin rivulet of blood ran down her pale, trembling neck.

Blood roared in Kaoru's ears. She vaguely registered the white-knuckle grip on her bokken and the way her arms shook with rage. Calm, calm, remain calm, she told herself. Remember what Maekawa-sensei said? You can't protect anyone unless you keep a clear head. So stay _calm!_ The teenager sucked in a deep breath through her nose.

Blue eyes flitted over the scene. Now, how do we get out of this mess? She asked herself. What are our advantages? Kaoru looked to her sister, unarmed and trembling like a leaf. Tomoe never carried weapons on her; even if she did have access to a blade, she had never been trained to use one. Now was not the time to try.

Mentally crossing off that option, Kaoru's gaze slid to the kitsune crouching on the floor of the carriage. Megumi was utterly spent: sweat drenched her kimono and her tails were limp with exhaustion. She must've drained herself to the bone maintaining those spells. No magical help, then. But didn't the kitsune always carry a tanto -?

Kaoru's eyes flitted between the kitsune and the spider-man on the roof as the gears in her head turned. Perched as he was, Spider-man couldn't see what was happening inside the carriage. He probably didn't realize the kitsune was there.

"Oy," she called out. "You're no half-rate chump like the others. What's your name? Who hired you?" As she spoke, the teenager casually drew a hand to her breast plate and spared a glance towards Megumi. Realization washed over the kitsune's sharp brown eyes.

"Eh, might as well tell you. Not like you'll survive to remember it," Spider-man laughed, a horrible, raspy sound, as Megumi retrieved the tanto hidden in her kimono and ever-so-slowly climbed to her feet. "Yatsume Mumyōi's the name. From the gold mines up in the north. As for my employer," he paused, grinning with those razor-sharp teeth, "Well, I'll let you go to the afterlife wonderi-arrghh!"

The assassin shrieked, retracting his knife-arm from the cabin. He cradled his palm and swore at the tanto stabbed through the middle. "You dirty bitch!" He roared but before he could retaliate Kaoru made a mad sprint and launched herself at him, knocking him off the roof.

She tumbled to the dusty earth with a grunt. Well, she thought, blinking the blood out of her eyes, that wasn't exactly the most well-thought-out plan. Kaoru pushed herself to her feet and dodged an angry swipe from Yatsume.

"Stupid fucking whore," he bit out, stabbing at her shoulder with his good hand. "I'll cut you up and fed you to the hogs!" Apparently, he had shaped _both_ of his hands into knives. What a monstrosity. Kaoru barely dodged in time. The heat and humidity had worn her down, and, adrenaline flagging, the fourteen-year-old found herself making more and more careless errors. She parried another strike and hissed when Yatsume's hand-blades slid forward and cut into her left forearm. Kaoru stumbled back. Fear edged into her eyes. Oh Kami, this was going to end badly for her -

A flash of red barreled over, striking Yatsume and sending him careening some thirty feet away. Kenshin landed with remarkable, cat-like grace in front of Kaoru. Then, he launched forward and beat the spider-man senseless.

Kaoru blinked. She seriously needed to have a sparring match with the guy. Maybe when she wasn't bleeding out, she thought distractedly. The fourteen-year-old drew a trembling hand over the shallow cut on her forehead and wondered if it was appropriate to faint now.

As if sensing she was about to white-out, strong, steady arms braced her. "Woah, missy, you alright there?" Sagara's voice was a muffled roar in her ears. She nodded, once, but the enormity of what had just transpired crashed over her like a heavy wave. Bile rose in her throat and she dashed behind the carriage to throw up.

To the man's credit, he didn't mock her; instead he patted her shoulder and drew out a handkerchief from his pocket. "Easy, now. You did good. Lemme get the fox to take a look at you, alright?" Sagara straightened. "Hey, fox-lady!"

"My name is Megumi," the kitsune snapped. She rushed out of the carriage and laid a soft hand on Kaoru's forehead. Her fingers weaved some spell - it was steadying and smelled of chamomile and sunshine – but they shook slightly as they did so. Megumi must've really been pulling on the dregs of her reserves, Kaoru thought briefly, sighing as her mind cleared and strength returned to her limbs. Then she was enveloped in a cloud of white-plum perfume.

"Oh, you stupid, brave little fool," Tomoe half-sobbed into her hair. "Never put yourself in danger like that again!" Kaoru spied a suspiciously bright sheen in the kitsune's eyes as well. The teenager nodded and let herself be cradled by her sister.

That was how Kenshin found them: Tomoe and Megumi curled protectively over the little girl, with Sagara politely standing by, fists jammed in his pockets and eyes scanning their surroundings for any lingering bandits. By the way the rest of their men were striding over, it seemed the threat was over.

The red-head bowed to the women. "Are you unharmed, Kaoru-dono, Yukishiro-dono?" he asked in a rough voice.

"Y-yeah, for the most part," Kaoru said. Tomoe drew back with a hiccup and helped the teenager to her feet.

"He still alive?" inquired Sagara. He gestured to the broken body of Yatsume.

"For the most part," Kenshin bit out, sending such a fierce glare towards the spider-man that Kaoru wondered if he was sincerely questioning the decision to keep him breathing. The teenager felt the corners of her mouth draw down into a frown. She had never seen the guardsman so furious. His whole frame radiated tension. Guilt, oddly enough, rippled through her gut for being the cause. She didn't like seeing that harsh expression on his face; it didn't suit him.

As if sensing the trend of her thoughts, Kenshin met her gaze, and the anger in his eyes was extinguished by a strange mix of concern and pride. "A tanto?"

"Megumi's," Tomoe explained breathlessly. She was slowly regaining her usual semblance of calm, but resting against her arm as she was, Kaoru could feel how her sister's body shook.

"Inspired by Kaoru-chan's handling of the other bandits," said the kitsune. After sealing Kaoru's wounds, she took one of Tomoe's hands and weaved more chamomile-and-sunshine magic. The older Yukishiro daughter drew in a long breath and visibly relaxed.

"Ahh." Kenshin spared a glance for the prone bodies lying near the carriage, then his eyes dodged to the younger girl with a sudden warmness. "Well done, Kaoru-dono."

The blue-eyed girl beamed at the praise. "Thanks."

Sagara inclined his head towards Yatsume. "I don't suppose you'd like your tanto back, eh, Megumi-dono?" he said, voice strangling over the last word.

The kitsune blinked at the honorific. "Um, no. That freak can keep it. But thank you," she said quickly with a shake of her head.

"This one apologizes for letting you to be put into such a situation." Kenshin spoke up. "I should have realized there'd be bandits targeting your carriage."

"Well, you figured it out in time, so don't beat yourself up about it," Kaoru reassured him. She stepped away from his sister's embrace and squared her shoulders. "Besides, I could've handled Spider-man over there." It was pure bravado, but if it reassured Tomoe, then no harm done. Judging by Kenshin's raised eyebrow, he wasn't fooled. He let it slide, though.

"Tomoe-chan, Kaoru-chan!" Akira dashed over at break-neck speed. He was rather dusty and had a nasty gash going down one arm, but Kaoru was relieved to see that other than that, he seemed fine. "Oh, thank the heavens you're both alright," he said. Concern etched his features and he stretched forward, moving to embrace her sister.

Before he could, Shinsaku slide in-between them and seized his fiancée's hands. "Are you all right, my dear?" the prince asked, drawing one hand to cup her face.

Akira dropped his arm and backed off. He probably wanted to give his cousin and his intended some privacy. Kaoru watched as they spoke in low tones to one another and shifted her eyes away, embarrassed by her eavesdropping. Suddenly she found herself enveloped in another hug. "Hey, Akira-kun, easy there," she teased him, patting his shoulder. "I'm not going to disappear anytime soon, jeez." Her friend took in a shuddering breath and Kaoru realized by the shaky quality that he was near tears. "Hey," she murmured, running a hand through his short, choppy hair. "We're fine. See? It's okay."

"Enough of that, cousin," the prince chided. Apparently he had noticed his cousin's weeping. "No tears. We're safe and whole." Akira released Kaoru slowly, straightening his spine as if it had morphed into steel.

Shinsaku kept a protective arm around Tomoe as he turned to address the group. "Himura, thank you for protecting my fiancée. I am in your debt." The red-head shook his head and opened his mouth, perhaps to explain that Kaoru had done most of the saving, but before he could speak Shinsaku barreled along. "There should be some extra kitsune shackles in one of the carriages. Have the men chain the bandits," he commanded with all princely force. "We will take them back to Ninomaru and interrogate them there. This was obviously an attack directed against me. See if they'll reveal their employer."

The swordsman bowed, and he and Sagara left to gather the rest of the men. Shinsaku turned to his cousin. "We will have to reschedule our trip to Ishiyama Hongan-jii."

"My prince, no," Tomoe protested, "this trip is too important!"

Shinsaku ran his hand down Tomoe's arm. When he spoke, his voice took on a soft, unyielding tone. "Absolutely not. We have lost forty guardsmen and have many more wounded."

Kaoru's mind slacked at his words. _Forty-?!_ The teenager felt her heart break for the men and their families whose husbands and brothers weren't coming home. How many were men that she had known and trained with? She bit her lip hard and ducked her head in the crook of Akira's arm.

Shinsaku was still speaking. "The horses are in no better shape. And who knows what further dangers lurk on these roads? We have caught or killed most of the bandits, but not all; surely someone will report that their mission was a failure, and then what mad schemes will they concoct next? No," he said with a frown. "I will not endanger my fiancée or her family any further. We go home. Yūkyūzan-sama will understand."

Kaoru was impressed by the prince's determination, and her heart softened at his tender concern for her sister. Really, Shinsaku may have had his faults, but he was not all bad; they had been unfairly harsh with him.

There was a loud shout among the men as they prepared to leave. The bodies of the bandits were left as carrion, while the fallen guardsmen were given quick burials. Their colleagues did their best, muttering short prayers and taking small tokens to bring back to the families of the fallen. What bandits were still alive were bound, gagged, and stuffed in the carriages. Those that couldn't fit were unceremoniously tied to the roofs. Sagara made a point to tie a strip of cords uncomfortably around their groins, which Kaoru thought was just cruel but couldn't help but applaud. She and her sister shared a carriage with the prince and his cousin, while Megumi squeezed in with the other servants. The procession to Ninomaru was swift and silent, the company too shaken for words.


End file.
